Let’s Get Reading!!
Yes, school is out, and homework is on hold for the summer, but this is a perfect time to continue promoting reading and encouraging social, emotional growth. This past year has impacted us in ways that we have yet to see. The ongoing impact of the pandemic and continuous changes to “pre-pandemic life” will continue to challenge kids and us as adults/parents.
The more we can help build our children’s (and our own) emotional toolboxes, the more benefits we will see in the years to come. With that said, there are so many resources available to us! One of them is books! Young children seek out books to help them better understand the world. Having various books at their fingertips will encourage them to seek out information and practice critical thinking (that does not involve a screen). As they get older, it is important to support them in their emotional development by encouraging them to read various books that help them explore feelings, cultures, and different life experiences.
Don’t forget about you!!! As parents, we often let reading take a backseat as we tend to our daily to-do lists, but our children are watching! If they see us reading, they are more likely to pick up a book themselves! Making time for reading can feel indulgent to some, but it demonstrates to your children that reading is important and should fall higher on the priority list. (I know the book list below for adults has parenting books, but don’t forget about pleasure reading! There are so many authors constantly releasing riveting, creative stories.)
Audiobooks are a great way to read while tackling chores or during those long summer car rides! I love the points made in this blog post about the benefits of audiobooks. Check out some of these books as you visit your library or set up your reading goals for the summer. Happy Reading!!!!
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/benefits-audiobooks-all-readers
Birth to 3 years
- Baby Faces by Margaret Miller
- How Are You Feeling by Mudpuppy
- The Runaway Bunny Board Book by Margaret Wise Brown
Preschool
- Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban
- How is my Body Feeling? by Sarah Read
- Sometimes I’m Bambaloo by Rachel Vail
- Addie’s Me-Cave by Rachael Ostrowski and Cheryl Palladino
- Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
School Age (6-10)
- The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes by Mark Pett, Gary Rubinstein
- I Am Enough by Grace Byers
- Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
Pre-Teen and Teens
- Maya and the Robot by Eve L Ewing
- Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz
- Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Parents
- The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
- Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids by Hunter Clarke-Fields and Carla Naumburg
- The Power of Showing Up by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
