for accepting our invitation to guest post for us today.
“Read
me one more story, please?”
Just
about every parent and early childhood education teacher has heard this
plaintive cry. Young
children love to listen to picture book stories and they enjoy sitting in the
class story circle, cuddling close to daddy on a comfy couch or leaning back on
mommy’s lap as they help to turn the dog-eared pages of a beloved book.
Why
should we read picture books to young children?
·
We
read with them for entertainment and enjoyment.
·
Their
messages can help young children deal with many of the challenges they
encounter.
·
Reading
with young children engages them in the world between the pages
·
Children
are able to relate the events in the book to their own experiences.
·
Studies
show that children who are read to at an early age are more successful in
school.
The
question is, however, which books should you read? Thousands of titles are available at bookstores and
libraries. Which books should
parents choose for their preschoolers?
My
passion for picture books began over fifty years ago as I helped my mother turn
the pages of The Little House. As a
kindergarten and Head Start teacher, daycare provider, mom of three and author
of a book that give hundreds of book and activity recommendations, I’ve been
reading and researching picture books most of my life. Here is my list of five top classic
picture books...each book addresses different components of building
self-esteem.
Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus
Mastering
tasks and skills is one of the most important components of a positive
self-image. Young children learn
new things at an amazing rate, but each child is unique and has his or her own
time line. In this story, a little
lion named Leo is unable to do the things his friends can do, such as write his
name and eat neatly. His father is
worried and questions Leo’s mother. She reassures him that Leo will do everything in his own time. She is proved right as Leo masters all
of those skills.
What
a beautiful story to read to any young child, but it may be especially helpful
for children who seem behind age-mates. Although it is important to be aware of the various stages of a child’s
physical, intellectual and emotional development because the earlier a problem
is detected, the faster help can be obtained, we need to remember that each
child matures at his or her own pace and should not be compared with siblings
or playmates.
Frederick by Leo Lionni
Valuing
one’s own strengths and qualities is the second component of high self-esteem. Frederick’s mouse family scurries
around to collect seeds and nuts for the winter while Frederick seems to be
daydreaming. He explains that he
is collecting sunshine, colors and words. When winter comes and the long cold days and nights seem endless,
Frederick entertains his family and lifts their spirits by reciting the poetry
he composed while the other mice were collecting food.
Sometimes
it is difficult to praise a child’s interests if that child does not enjoy
doing what the rest of the family likes to do, but, in situations like that, it
is even more essential to provide opportunities to develop that child’s gifts.
Oliver
Button is a Sissy
by Tomie de Paola
The
third component of building a positive self-image is to feel appreciated, loved
and accepted for who we are. In
this story, Oliver enjoys walking in the woods, reading books and, most of all,
dancing. His father tries to
convince him to play baseball or football and the boys tease him at school and
call him a sissy, but Oliver continues to pursue the activities he enjoys. When he performs in a talent show and
his classmates watch him dance, they come to see him in a more favorable light.
How
can we give our young children a sense of pride? We can copy Oliver’s father who allowed him to take dance
lessons and then went to the talent show and praised him for his dancing. By doing these things, he helped Oliver
feel good about himself.
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Learning
to express one’s feelings in a constructive way is the fourth component of high
self-esteem. In this story, Max
chases after his pet dog with a fork and bangs nails into the wall with a
hammer. When he is sent to bed
without any dinner, Max dreams that he sails to the land of the wild things
where he is made king. However, he
misses his family and returns home to find his still-warm dinner is waiting for
him in his room.
Young
children can get into mischief, sometimes because they are sad or mad or upset
about something that they have trouble talking about. When you encourage your children to come to you with their
problems, and you listen without judging, they will feel more comfortable
expressing their emotions, whether they are positive or negative.
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Another
component of a
positive self-image is the ability to acknowledge and cope with one’s
fears. In this story, a little
girl goes blueberry picking with her mother. Meanwhile, a bear cub is also on a blueberry hunt with his
mother. Both girl and bear cub
become separated from their own mothers and inadvertently begin following the
wrong mother. The mix-up is
resolved and both Sal and Little Bear are reunited with the correct parent.
Kids
often get anxious when they lose sight of their parents because they are afraid
their parents will not return. This story reassures young children that even if this happens (or their
parents leave them at daycare or nursery school), the separation will only be a
temporary one.
Looking
for a fun-filled, self-esteem building, budget-friendly, educational activity
for your preschoolers? Pick up a
picture book and read to them!
With
the holidays AND a long winter ahead of us, I hope you will check out my book,
Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and
Cooking. It
offers a story summary, an easy craft project and a simple child-friendly
recipe for 100 recommended classic picture books. Think Jim Trelease’s Read
Aloud Book,
but with craft and cooking activities! Right now, for a limited time, it is ON
SALE on Amazon for ONLY $10.
Author bio: Vivian
Kirkfield is an educator, parenting speaker and author of the award-winning
book for parents and teachers of children ages 2-8, Show Me How! Build Your
Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. Her book has been endorsed by parents, teachers, self-esteem
experts and national organizations such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation (JDRF) with a portion of the book sale proceeds going to the JDRF.
Vivian’s Show-Me-How Story-time Program has been implemented in local kindergartens
and she recently partnered with PBS, crafting paper plate Curious George
puppets with hundreds of children.
She shares her passion for using picture books and positive parental
participation to build self-esteem and strengthen the parent-child connection
during her presentations to mom groups and teacher organizations. In May, she
traveled to the 2013 Asian Festival of Children’s Content in Singapore to speak
about how picture books can be used as parenting tools to build self-esteem,
develop better literacy skills and strengthen the parent-child connection. You
can visit her Picture Books Help Kids Soar
blog, like her
on Facebook, follow her on Twitter or contact her at viviankirkfield@gmail.com.
Thank you, Vivian, for stopping by
and sharing your expertise.
Click the book cover graphic above to see how we used Vivian's
Show Me How! formula in the Gruener house.
For another ten titles to share with your pre-K kiddos,
