Reading Brilliant Star: Solitary Experience or Social Activity?

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As a mom, I’m always searching for resources to help my kids develop their spiritual qualities and form a closer relationship with God. And as a writer for Brilliant Star, I hope and pray that each page we produce makes a real connection with kids. So when a new issue of Brilliant Star arrives in the mail, and my girls squeal with delight and dive into its pages, I get a double dose of satisfaction: I can see that our work is making an impact, and I know that my kids are exploring spiritual topics in a fun and engaging way.

I also know I’m not the only mom who loves witnessing her kids’ relationship with Brilliant Star. Parents will sometimes send Brilliant Star photos of their children curled up in a cozy corner, reading a magazine with rapt concentration, or siblings huddled together nose-deep in a new issue. Those images are always fun and encouraging, and we joyfully pass them around the staff for inspiration. They also show a truth that has become clear to me as I watch my own girls interact with Brilliant Star: Reading the magazine can be both a solitary endeavor and a social experience—and often at the same time.

From my observations, when kids are reading Brilliant Star with other people in the room, they spend almost as much time talking about what they’re reading as they do quietly perusing. Countless times I’ve watched my daughters ask one another for help finding a hidden letter or spelling a fill-in word, or challenge each other to see who can finish an activity page first. Their friends sometimes come over and peruse the magazine, too. Inevitably, they ask questions about Bahá’í terms or people, or find a fun factoid and exclaim, “Did you know ______?!” And they all love to share and laugh at jokes from the humorous Cosmo the Chameleon character.

I noticed the same solitary/social phenomenon in the focus groups we’ve done for the magazine. The more boisterous kids will spontaneously blurt out “Whoa, I didn’t know that!” or “Hey, that’s cool!” or even an exasperated, “Argh, I can’t find the last one!” The more reserved kids lean over to one another to share something funny or interesting that they’ve come across. Even the super shy kids interact with their smiles and laughter when kids share something they’ve found.

I think it really comes down to this: Brilliant Star is full of cool things—fun and challenging activities, interesting facts, inspiring stories—and kids want to share cool things with each other. They almost can’t help it. Even kids who are more introverted or shy tend to come out of their shell with a magazine in their hands. Perhaps it helps them to have a prop, or something to look at when eye contact feels too pressured. I just know I’ve seen kids with different personalities, from various walks of life, at diverse ages, engage in delightful conversations simply from flipping through pages of Brilliant Star.

Here are some ways to encourage that kind of social interaction using Brilliant Star:

 

Keep a few issues laying around

This has been key for our family. We almost always have an issue or two (or four) on the coffee table for people to grab at their leisure. It doesn’t matter if they’re current or older issues. If your kids are possessive of their magazines, you can order back issues from the Bahá’í Distribution Service.

Encourage Brilliant Star collections

Some kids keep all of their Brilliant Star issues as a collection in a special spot. But kids can even collect specific information or activities from the magazine, such as jokes from Cosmo the Chameleon’s crossword, earth-friendly tips from “We are One,” “aMAZEing Adventure” mazes, or craft activities from “Nur’s Nook.” Many kids like to share their favorite features, and having them all in one collection creates a natural opening for conversation.

 

Ask kids about their favorite pages

I’m always amazed at what I can learn about a kid from his or her favorite pages in Brilliant Star. I recently had a reader tell me that he always does the maze and the crossword as soon as he gets a new issue, so I knew he liked a challenge (it’s a lot easier to do the crossword after you’d read the rest of the pages). Some kids immediately find the stories to read. Others head straight to the art pages, or the math activities, or the “Lightning and Luna” comic. Many readers express a love for quizzes. And most kids love pages with animals. Your kids’ favorite Brilliant Star activities can tell you more about their interests and give them ways to develop those interests further.

 

Ask kids about their favorite issues

Each Brilliant Star issue has a different theme. Past issues have focused on race unity, protecting the environment, dealing with challenges, and exploring arts and creativity, and many more topics. Find out which themes your kids feel most connected with, and help them explore those topics further. Maybe they have an idea for a service project related to their favorite theme. Encourage them to involve their friends. Or maybe an issue inspired an idea for a story they want to write. Encourage them to share it when they feel ready. And listen to the way kids talk about each issue. I’ve often been surprised at how deeply kids think about spiritual topics.

 

Encourage kids to share their experiences with Brilliant Star

We’d love to know how kids use Brilliant Star, both alone and with their friends, family, or classmates. If your kids particularly love an activity or an issue, or if there’s something they’d like to see more of in the magazine, let them know that their input is valuable. Encourage them to e-mail Brilliant Star at brilliant@usbnc.org with their thoughts. We always want to hear from readers with feedback to help make kids’ experiences with Brilliant Star—whether solitary or social—the best they can be.

 

 

Annie Reneau is a homeschooling mom of three, lover of chocolate and travel, and former assistant editor with Brilliant Star. She now works as associate editor at Upworthy/GOOD and shares her personal musings on life and parenting at Motherhood and More.

Updated on 7.25.13