Sharing books helps kids with more than just language and reading. Stories are a powerful way to teach and learn about everything! This month we’ve been talking about relationships and some of the skills that children need to learn long before they go to school, such as sharing, coping in groups, being able to separate from parents and caregivers and more. Social and emotional growth and development are important for more than kindergarten readiness, and here are some books that target this area.
Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend, by Melanie Watt, is great fun. His fears remind grownups how scary this can be for some kids. Brown Bear and Friends by Eric Carle doesn’t specifically talk about friends, but adults reading to kids can show how Brown Bear has Polar Bear and Panda Bear as his friends. When reading to kids ask them questions like why might they all be friends. Are some things about them the same? Are some things different? Corduroy by Don Freeman finds a friend in Lisa. Franklin the turtle and Winnie the Pooh have special friends. There are many others that can be used for helping kids learn about relationships.
Where would any of us be without friends?