One of the simplest joys of parent hood is o watch a toddler immerse themselves in a pile of books. They can lose themselves in the colorful pictures, pretend to read and feel a certain sense of pride and accomplishment from being able to turn the pages, point to familiar objects and babble endlessly while smiling. The best thing about great kid’s books is they can be filled with pictures alone, don’t necessarily have to have a life lesson, can be wildly unrealistic and can encourage a young child to have a love of reading that will last with them through life.
Many adults can remember back to when they were child; seeing the gently used hardback book that sat on their night stand, read every night either to or by them. This book meant something to them. Many grown ups may still have it and might be reading it or showing it to their child now. The bottom line is that books can be transforming. When a child looks at a great kid’s book they can be taken on an adventure and led to new interests and desires that before may have never been tapped.
What makes a book great to a child is often the pictures. For toddlers choosing books that are filled with colorful pictures and every day objects helps them to build upon their language and cognizant skills. As they mirror behavior they will be enhancing their own communicative skills and developing their brains as well. As children grow it can become harder to keep them interested in books. The trick is to choose books that seem to reflect their interests. Most children love animals and seeing pictures of animals in the wild; there are tons of books that use your child’s favorite character and even books that will mirror their interest in things like art, dance, trucks, cars, farms, etc… By choosing a great kids book that your child will love you are helping to lay the foundation for a life of reading. As your child grown; research firmly suggests that reading and comprehension skills are one of the key note factors in their academic success. The best part is that kids are naturally drawn to books – a parent just has to provide them.
There are millions of worthwhile fun books for children. Even a book filled with words can be read to a toddler and long before they can read the story they will be able to tell it. “Click, Clack Moo,” “If you Give a Pig a Pancake,” “Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat,” “The Spot Series,” and “Love You Forever,” are just a few of the awesome kids books you will want to get for your child. Books that are based on the age old nursery rhymes and riddles that kids love will have children interested and reading and books that come in a series is a great way to keep children reading. In the elementary years great kids books are the “Magic Tree House Series,” Junie B Jones,” “The magic School Bus,” Amelia Bedelia” and timeless classics like “The Little Red hen.” Many of the scholastic readers which are level based use many of the sight words that kids are required to know in school and help to build confidence and fluency with actual reading abilities.
When you are reading with kids it is suggested by the National Literacy Association to point at words as you read them. This is true for toddlers and older children. Once a paragraph is read – use the pictures to help children gain a better understanding of the story and ask your child lots of questions about the book. Leave the questions open ended like – What would you do if you were the duck? This will get your child thinking and becoming part of the story themselves. It also opens up solution based thinking and entails them to use their ability to test their morals. Talking about books with children is a great way to get into their head and learn exactly what they are thinking and what excites them at a personal level.
Great kid’s books don’t have to be expensive. Keeping in mind that children will read the same book 100 times and never grow board ensures that buying books is a good investment in their future. Even when they have grown out of the story they may use the book to “teach” their student body of stuffed animals in their room. There are also a lot of online book sharing communities where parents can trade books for nominal fees. In the United States, there are also many organizations like “The Ferst Foundation” which provides quality, classic books to children up to the age of 5. The books are delivered once a month and are free of charge. In order to decide if a book is worth buying – use your local library to borrow the book first and if it becomes a favorite – you can purchase it down the road. Sites like Amazon which sell both new and used books are a great place to start.
In a world that has turned completely technical, automated, video oriented and inundated with high tech cartoons and stimulating programming – children desperately need the simplistic stimulation of a great book. Many things that children are offered come with stringent limits that stifle the creative process and imagination. Books do the exact opposite. Great kids book are certainly one of the most treasured mainstays of childhood. It doesn’t matter if the book is a popular title, a Little Golden Book from the past or a goofy and nonsensical story – it is broadening your child’s horizon and broadening their brain power. Books and people have been able to long forge relationships that stand the test of time. You never know if the book on your child’s bed right now – will be the one they carry with them whether physically or emotionally for the remainder of their life.