03 Jun GET BOOKED!
By Niyati Mehta
Our Get Booked series of reviews will focus on a new book/ book series each month, adding to the pool of reading resources you have been using with your children at home, in schools or within your community. The series we are exploring this month is The Best Behavior Series by authors Elizabeth Verdick and Marieka Heinlen (for children ages 3 to 7).
Some of the titles in the series are:
Voice is not for Yelling
Words are not for Hurting
Hands are not for Hitting
Feet are not for Kicking
Teeth are not for Biting
Each book in the series addresses a different issue that growing children and their parents face, helping you understand how to help your little ones cope with their emotions in safe ways.
We all know that reading aloud to children is beneficial in more ways than one. Besides supporting cognitive development (the ability to think and understand), reading to children from a very young age can help with their language acquisition and vocabulary development over a longer period of time. Reading is also a way to enable long-term behavioral changes in your child.
What works– All the books are written in a direct, simple manner making them easy to understand for your child. There are no characters in the book. Instead, the author chooses to address the little readers, making it easy for them to understand that it is very normal for ALL children to experience various emotions be it happiness, anger, irritation or excitement. The fun and colorful illustrations depict the everyday setting of your child’s world, making it a very relatable read. The best part though is that the books don’t just tell your child not to hit. Instead, each book tells your little one the positive ways in which to use their hands, feet, teeth, voice or words.
What doesn’t– Each book in the series is fairly long and can become boring for your little one. This is probably where parents need to jump in and read with enthusiasm, using voice modulations and expressions to make the material a tad bit more exciting for kids.
