Tag Archives: childrens books

How Books Build Confidence and Encourage Kids to Return to School in Fun Ways

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By Kids Book Author Denise Turney

boy sitting and reading kids books to build confidence
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Books build confidence in kids. Even more, books open kids up to new worlds. Reading is akin to gaining a ticket to travel. Senegal, Madagascar, Spain, Italy, Ghana, Samoa, Peru, Japan, New Zealand and Iceland are a few of the places that children learn about, exploring historic sites, beautiful natural landscapes and cultural traditions – all while reading a book.

More Books for More Kids

Yet, many children do not have access to books outside of school. In fact, Literacy Trust reports that 1 in 8 underserved children in the United Kingdom do not have a book in their home. Scholastic shares that, “Children in middle-income neighborhoods had multiple opportunities to observe, use, and purchase books (approximately 13 titles per child); few opportunities were available for low-income children who, in contrast, had approximately one title per 300 children.”1

Therefore, a first step toward allowing books to help build kids’ confidence and encourage kids to return to school with a positive outlook is to get books to more kids. The importance of that is far reaching.

According to Science Daily, “Young children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to, a new study found.”2 If the gap only widens as children age, by the time both sets of kids reach adulthood, the gap could be so wide and that it would take years, perhaps decades, to close the gap.

What You Can Do

Here’s a glimpse of that gap in action. Regis College and ProLiteracy share that, “Children of adults with low literacy skills are 72% more likely to be at a low reading level in school.”Let this continue for generations and an entire community, city or town will start to experience the effects.3

Fortunately, there are ways to close and reduce the gap. Donating books to libraries, thrift stores and bookstores, especially libraries, thrift stores and bookstores in under-served communities, is one way to help get more kids books to young readers. Volunteering at organizations like First Book, Reading is Fundamental, Book Aid International, Books for Africa and Reading Partners are other ways to support efforts to get books to kids in under-served areas.

You could also mentor children through illiteracy and education programs. Reading fun, educational books to the children in your life is a definite huge forward step. However, don’t just get books to kids and read books to children, choose fun, engaging books.

Choosing Kids Books

A great way to choose books that help build confidence and encourage kids to return to school with a fun and positive outlook is to let children select books they want to read themselves. When my son was a child, it was the Bernstein Bears stories. For me, it was books like Mildred Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and the Pippi Longstocking books.

These books teach working together as a family, courage, confidence, facing tough situations, making friends and trying new things. As much as the stories, it’s the characters who motivate kids to read.

Consider it this way. What motivates your kids to watch certain cartoons or movies? It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that it’s the characters in these cartoons and movies. The same applies with video games that your kids like (if they play video games).

Favorite Kids Book Characters

So, whether you are donating books or picking books for your kids to read, consider the characters. Are the characters funny, lively or caring? Furthermore, are the characters outgoing, do they love to explore, are they nature lovers or is there a sport or art that they’re fond of?

If the characters love to explore, there’s a good chance your kids might learn about science, different landscapes, amazing cultures or a fun range of foods. Also, kids’ books that showcase people with different personalities interacting can help build confidence in kids who feel left out, which brings up another point.

Should your children be shy, try choosing books that have at least one shy character in them. To build your kid’s confidence, make sure these books show shy kids facing fear and going on to do what they love. The same applies to choosing books with characters who have a learning disability, whose body functions differently from other kids (i.e., child in a wheelchair, child on crutches).

Finding Really Good Kids Books

Don’t worry if you don’t find books with these types of diverse characters. Authors promote and sell books directly from their websites. All it takes is a bit of time on a search engine to discover these authors and the children’s books they write.

Other actions that you can take to use books to build confidence and encourage your kids to be excited about school include reading to your children and letting your kids see you reading books. To get the most from books, start reading to kids early.

This means that you start reading to kids when they are a few months old. No. Your child won’t understand the words you speak, but bright, fun pictures in the books will grab your child’s attention, so will the exciting tone in your voice.

Books Really Are Fun

Additionally, when kids are at your house, set aside time for the kids to pick a book to have run reading as a group. In other words, do things that make reading books fun. For example, you could ask your kids to tell you about their favorite book characters.

Another action that you could take is to let your kids hear you talking with your friends about books you’re reading. Choose books that spotlight characters preparing to go to school and you could show your kids how other students are concerned about returning to school.

Books that show kids doing fun things at school (i.e., acting in school plays, building science projects, participating in sports) can help kids see school as more than a place to sit still in a chair, do math equations and listen to instructors. To repeat, consider letting kids pick out books they want to read. As it regards using books to build confidence, this single choice empowers kids.

Make reading books about more than school-based learning, completing homework and earning certain school grades. Let reading be fun! Combining fun with diverse characters, diverse personalities, characters who exhibit courage, new environments and outdoor exploration could help your kids to become lifelong book lovers and book readers. Should this happen, your kids could grow up and donate books to organizations that support young readers in under-served communities, not to mention passing along the love of reading kids books to their own children.

Resources:

  1. Access-to-books.pdf (scholastic.com)
  2. A ‘million word gap’ for children who aren’t read to at home: That’s how many fewer words some may hear by kindergarten — ScienceDaily
  3. Child Illiteracy in America: Statistics, Facts, and Resources | Regis College

How Children’s Books Open Healthy Family Communication

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By Books Author Denise Turney

young girl and boy having fun reading books under tent
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The best children’s books dig into real-world topics. That wasn’t always the case. Years ago, children’s books were limited to covering light-hearted topics like farm life, welcoming a baby sibling into the family and making new friends at school. Children’s book authors steered clear of deeper social issues. Today’s shift toward tackling more realistic issues could help prepare kids for the real-world. It also opens dialogue for parents and children to engage in healthy family communication.

Children’s Books Tackling Important Life Issues

For example, as a parent, when you ask your child what they honestly feel about school, sharing experiences you may have had with bullying, poor grades or awkwardness, you can open a window of healthy dialogue. Reading children’s books about bullying or a character who’s struggling to fit in at school could also encourage your child to tell you what’s going on with them at school.

You could learn about something that’s been worrying your child simply by discussing a central theme in a children’s book. Even better, to reduce the likelihood that your child might feel as if she’s being probed, you could ask her how she feels about what happened to a character in a novel, lowering your child’s desire to conceal what’s really going on in effort to avoid judgment or embarrassment.

Read out loud to your child and you could do more than encourage literacy. You could introduce your child to characters who help build confidence and celebrate your child’s uniqueness.

Children’s Books That Speak to a Child’s Core

For instance, your child might be drawn to confident, creative children’s book characters like Pippi Longstocking, Matilda Wormwood, Paddington Bear, Arthur, Big Nate or Rosetta Blay. Or they might gobble up books written by authors like Judy Blume, Christopher Paul Curtis, Mildred Taylor, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi or Jacqueline Woodson.

Experiences characters in these and other children’s books have are timeless, making these books great family communication tools. Talk with your child about books he reads and you might learn a lot yourself, a lot about the characters, storylines and a lot about your child.

Living with an aging grandparent, caring for a pet, moving to a new country, dealing with rejection and facing a fear are open conversations you and your child could end up having, simply because you stopped to talk about a book your child was reading.

Children’s Books Relevant Topics

Who knows? You might start turning to children’s books as a way to start a healthy discussion with your child. Fortunately, the best children’s books cover relevant topics such as living in a blended family (with stepparents and stepbrothers and sisters) and living as an only child in a big city. Other relevant topics authors are taking on include:

  • Futuristic landscapes that stimulate imagination, offering entertainment and fun discussion
  • Fantasy stories that probe real life situations. An example is the classic Alice In Wonderland.
  • Competitiveness, self-esteem and confidence cocooned in an exciting adventure story. This may be one of the more popular forms of children’s books.
  • Important social issues that could be happening in a child’s life right now. Examples include books with young characters who are adjusting to their parents divorcing or getting remarried. Immigrating to another country, confronting bullying, accepting one’s body and stepping into leadership roles.

Enriching Reading Practice

As you talk with your child about books she reads, she might feel more valued and included. This could encourage more conversation.

Support reading and healthy family communication by choosing books that entertain and enlighten. Also, let your child choose books that he wants to read on his own.

Another thing – as your child ages, consider presenting him with more text-based stories. And keep learning and growing with your child. After all, that’s what the best children’s books are about – learning, growing and healthy, rewarding relationships, the types of relationships that encourage open healthy dialogue.

How Reading with Children Strengthens Families

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By African American Books Author Denise Turney

smiling happy mother and daughter reading children's books
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Reading with children strengthens families in ways other bonding activities don’t. Even more, reading, writing and math are subjects that children use throughout their lives, in one form or another. In fact, reading and writing play a major role in one-on-one and group communication. School, work, finances and personal relationships are affected by each of the three subjects. Yet, of the three, reading books is too often limited to the classroom.

Lasting Benefits From Reading Books

You have to use math skills to balance your personal budget, operate a business and ensure you don’t get ripped off while engaging in money exchanges. And, even if you don’t use long hand, you have to use a form of writing (or typing) to communicate via a memo, email, card or letter. It’s hard to stop using writing and math skills.

But finding interesting books to read may be perceived as a “chore” or an activity that’s limited to school. This can happen despite the fact that reading books is a key to lifelong learning. And here’s another benefit of reading, especially parents and caretakers reading with children. Reading books with children can help strengthen families.

Think about the people who you felt a deep connection with as a child. Did any of those people read 2nd grade books or 3rd grade books to you when you were a child? If they did and they enjoyed reading to you, enthusiasm filling their voices, it wouldn’t be shocking to learn that it’s those people who you remember fondly when you look back on your childhood.

Fun Times Reading Books

woman reading a book to the children
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I can still see and hear my aunt reading books to my siblings and me. She put so much inflection in her voice, glancing up at us, her eyes expanding with excitement, as she read important parts of a children’s book. Soon, I was strengthening my passion for reading books. To this day, I know that my love of discovering good books to read is rooted in the way that my aunt read to me when I was a kid.

Years later, I passed that same habit of finding great books to read and sharing them with my son. We had so much fun reading stories like the Bernstein Bears series, classic 2nd grade books and standalone novels. Just thinking about those times brings a smile to my face.

Before long, my son was reading books to me. We were growing together. And, perhaps more importantly, we were strengthening our bond.

Reading with Children Strengthens Families – It’s A Great Investment

In fact, the bond between children and parents may strengthen because reading books, even short 2nd grade books and 3rd grade books, takes time. Even more, reading books is a time investment that demonstrates how much someone means to you.

Think about it. Would you sit down and read a book to or with someone you didn’t want to be around?

Furthermore, it takes time to find good books to read. Bring home a new good book to read to or with your child each week and, after awhile, your child may realize that you’re investing time in her or him. Top that off by choosing great, entertaining stories and your child could start looking forward to the times when you sit down together and explore good stories.

How to Encourage Kids to Read Books

If you’re struggling to find ways to get your child to want to read as a start, consider the following actions. Keep trying different techniques. It might surprise you how fast your child goes from having an unwillingness to read to having a passion for reading books.

  • Start reading books to your child early, definitely before your child starts school.
  • Choose fun 2nd grade books (earlier grades if you start reading to your kids before they start school).
  • Read with enthusiasm. Make reading books fun.
  • Ask your child what she thinks about the book’s characters. Also, ask your child what she thinks the story is about and what her favorite parts of the story are.
  • Select a day and time to read books to your child. After all, he’ll come to expect you to invest time to read entertaining stories to him.
  • Make seasoned popcorn before reading books to your child. Snack on the popcorn before or after you finish reading.
  • The following day, ask your child how he enjoyed the book that you recently read.
  • Also, ask your son for suggestions on interesting books to read.

More Way to Encourage Kids to Read Good Books

Another way to encourage your child to read books is to find great books to read when your child’s cousins or friends visit. Even more, take your child to the library and bookstore. To show your child how much you appreciate good books, pick out a few good books for yourself while you’re at the library and bookstore.

If you really want to have fun, wear a hat similar to a hat worn by a book character. That, or you could pull on a cool t-shirt that’s similar to a t-shirt worn by a major character in a popular children’s book. And, let your child dress up. Then, enjoy reading great books together.

Although reading with your children can strengthen your family bond, there are more benefits of reading books. For example, reading is a good way to get some brain exercise. Reading can also help you to relax. Try it.

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Keep Reading Great Books

Read a relaxing book an hour before you head to bed and see if you don’t sleep better. Now, this has to be a relaxing book, not a book that’s going to scare you or keep you up guessing what’s coming next in the story.

Another thing. The more books you read, the easier you may comprehend articles, research material and written policies and procedures. Improved comprehension could shorten the time it takes for you to grasp new skills.

For your child, improved comprehension could shorten the time it takes her to study for exams. Your son or daughter might even start to recognize which parts of a class textbook is most important, helping them to know which sections of a book to focus on.

But the lasting benefits of reading with your child have to do with your child and your relationship. It’s a fun and entertaining investment that says, “I love you.”

7 Tips to Help Kids Love Reading Books

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By Books Author Denise Turney

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Despite what you might think, many kids love reading books. As long as I can remember, I have loved to read books. Even more, I’m from the school of book readers who loves holding a paperback in my hands. Could be the scent wafting off the pages. Or it could be the way that it feels to hold a good book against my stomach while I flip the pages.

Benefits of Reading Books

Like a train, boat or airplane, books took me to different places. In fact, it’s how I got to Paris, Kenya, Spain and Australia while I was growing up in housing projects. And, all the journey cost me was an active imagination, concentration and a library card. Oh, and the help of talented authors who knew how to use a pen to carve out worlds of wonder.

Back then, I read 35 to 50 books a month. Every Single Month. On top of that, I ran track, kept up my school work and wrote poems and short stories. Honestly, there are times when I think that books may have saved me from experiencing the full sting of trauma.

Reasons Kids Turn Away From Reading Books

Yet, benefits aside, it’s not always easy to help kids love books. In fact, some kids don’t like reading books because they think that they’d have to invest too much time into a book, even really good books. Other reasons why kids might turn away from reading books include:

  • Reading books feels too much like being back in school
  • Ebook reader stories are a turnoff due to having to stare at a screen
  • Story topics aren’t exciting to kids
  • Other events, choices vie for their attention
  • Parents, other adults and older siblings telling them reading books is boring
  • Benefits of finding good books to read is hidden from kids

Advantages to Kids from Finding Good Books to Read

Fortunately, there are a myriad of benefits that can be gained from reading books. Chance to explore other parts of the world is just one benefit. More benefits gained from digging into the best books to read include:

  • Increased empathy – While exploring books to read, kids can learn about different cultures. They can also learn how people experiencing challenges similar to their own feel. Even more, when kids love books, they can see how these same people overcome challenges. This alone can be inspiring, motivating and empowering.
  • Brain strength – Reading exercises the brain. According to Reading Horizons, the brain’s occipital lobe and the parietal lobe are stimulated while reading books. This stimulation helps kids process visual information. It also helps kids process letters into words.
  • Reading comprehension – The more kids love books, the stronger their reading comprehension can become.  Whether kids are reading children’s books in print or via an ebook reader, the more they read, the easier it may become for them to understand what’s shared in a story. As it regards school, kids may shorten the time it takes to study for tests. Additionally, they might recognize what to focus on in a book, including non-fiction textbooks.

More Advantages of Kids Finding Good Books to Read

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This happened for me. Granted, it took several years of avid book reading. But after reading kids’ books, I could spot areas teachers were likely to focus on in tests. Soon, I could read textbooks and know just what to highlight and zone in on.

More reasons for kids to find good books to read are to exercise their imagination and to open themselves to new ideas. Also, characters in some children’s books may keep kids from feeling alone. For example, a child who’s being bullied in school might feel less alone while reading a kids books series about a girl who’s also dealing with bullying.

Reaping Rewards When Kids Love Books

Building a broader vocabulary is another advantage for kids finding good books to read. Also, if kids read more advanced books as they age, it can help them maintain healthy cognitive abilities. Other advantages include:

  • Supports healthy sleeping
  • Improves concentration
  • Lowers stress (a plus in a busy digital world)
  • Aids healthy self-esteem (Of course, this depends on the books that kids read. Good books to read can support healthy self-esteem.)

Tips to Help Kids Love Books

Yet, with all the advantages and benefits of reading kids books, it can be hard to get kids to read. So, how can you encourage kids to read more books?

Check out these tips. For starters, let your kids see you reading books. This next tip is closely connected to the first. When your children are young, read good books to them. Other actions that you can take to help kids love books are:

  • Turn your kids’ favorite books into a play that the entire family can participate in
  • Let your children pick the books they want to read
  • Ask your children questions about books they read
  • Buy your kids books for their birthday and on holidays. They make great additions to other gift options.
  • Make a trip to your local bookstore fun. For example, you can go to brunch, then to the bookstore and later to a movie.
  • Take crayons and draw cartoons based on book characters and plots to help kids love reading books
  • Get your kids a library card. Also, let your kids participate in fun library events.

Fans of Good Books

kind elderly ethnic woman lying in bed with curious grandchildren and reading book
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Even more, you may find it beneficial to let your kids read good books with you. For instance, you can read parts of a book and let your kids read other parts. As you see the benefits of your kids reading books, you might encourage reading more.

Who knows? Along the way, you might find good books to read and become a book lover yourself. And, kids who become fans of good books might grow up and pass book reading on to their children. In today’s world, you have more options.

Thanks to the digital world, you can find good books for your kids to enjoy on an ebook reader. Furthermore, your kids can read free or discounted books online. If their school has a book club, they can even share their thoughts and feelings about books they read with their classmates and peers.