Kids Books Make Great Gifts

November 17, 2022December 3, 2022 SuzanneLeave a comment

Fiction and non-fiction books may seem like a ‘traditional’ gift, but consider that the novelty of a new book never wears off for kids.

Timeless Benefits of Kids Fiction Books

Encourages Critical Thinking

Reading story books remains one of the best ways for children to develop independent thinking skills. ‘Toy trends’ come and go, but exploring life, through the written word, continues to be timeless adventures for kids of all ages and a welcome gift.
Bear in mind that books delve into the thoughts and behaviours of other people – how these individuals respond to the world – what works for them, what doesn’t, how their actions and reactions affect others, consequences of behaviour, and etc.
In other words, a child safely learns what other people experience in life, a life that may or may not be similar to their own.
Furthermore, children are given an opportunity to ‘intuitively’ form opinions, establish values, evaluate merits of character traits, and so much more as they gather information about the world outside of their immediate environment.
Therefore, books do make great gifts for kids…however, choose them wisely considering how impressionable children are at different ages.

Builds Vocabulary and Develops Grammar Skills

A well-written children’s book will include a broad use of the English language. A properly constructed sentence will utilize the ‘inference’ concept which makes a word’s definition obvious. Furthermore, e-readers have built in definition software. Hovering over a word means kids quickly learn new words while enjoying uninterrupted reading.
Plenty of quality reading time means a child builds a familiarity for a foundation in sentence/paragraph structure, lively dialogue, and etc. This will prove invaluable for future creative writing, essays, reports, and so forth.

Provides Much Needed Quiet Time

Life has become overly stressful for many children today. Social media and busy schedules mean a child’s day can be demanding, leaving many children pressured to ‘keep up’.
Leisurely reading, that has no objective, other than ‘getting lost’ in a make-believe story, can provide a child’s growing brain some peace and relaxation. Similar to walking outdoors without earbuds delivering lyrics or podcasts hashing out problems, a ‘mindless’ walk enables a person to appreciate the smells, sounds, and visuals of nature. Likewise, fiction allows the mind to wander in the imagination.

Develops Comprehension and Awareness

It might go without saying, however the ability to understand what a person is reading is a life skill developed during childhood – thanks to both fiction and non-fiction content.
Understanding what we read is paramount in importance, but something that we generally take for granted.
Providing children with an abundance of varied reading material cannot be underestimated in its value.
Determine what a child finds most interesting (usually something that has a certain amount of humour) and broaden their learning experience from there.

‘To Do’ Suggestions for Parents

Many parents spend hours and hours reading books with their toddlers and preschoolers. This provides quality time to discuss a variety of topics and life skills.

Then one day, their children are reading on their own and their shared reading experience drops off…

Although young readers may not require their parents’ assistance, it is worth noting that children continue to need guidance throughout their formative years. Therefore…

Be aware of your child’s reading choices; busy lifestyles mean many things slip by parents; consider that the books your child is reading may be replacing your wise counsel
If the books they choose are inappropriate and potentially harmful, strive not to be critical of their choice but rather critical of the content; take the opportunity to explain why the material is not what you expect them to read
Remember that the books your child chooses is their choice – not yours; do not make demands that they read non-fiction if they prefer fiction or vice versa or insist they read mystery stories if they do not enjoy them. Whodunnits may by your preferred genre but your child may love science-fiction
If possible… read as many of the books your child chooses yourself; knowing the content of the books your child is reading provides an opportunity for discussion – try to keep it upbeat and friendly, share your thoughts and hopefully your child will share his or hers…

Life is a learning journey and books provide an excellent resource for open, frank discusssions on which to build parent/child relationships to last a life time.

Thanks for the visit

Suzanne Rightley is an author of children’s fiction stories. Visit her author page to discover if her books would make a reading gift for the child you know and love.

Character Development · formative years · Parenting · Parenting Tips

We Aren’t Born With Self-Control

October 20, 2022 SuzanneLeave a comment

Why Parents Should Set Boundaries for Their Kids

Having the ability to control our actions, in every situation of daily life, is important to us. We may not give it much thought, but knowing we can trust ourselves to act responsibly, with dignity, is what adults – knowingling or unknowingly – value.

Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com

Developing self-control doesn’t come naturally to children. Anyone witnessing a two-year old’s grocery store tantrum can attest to this fact.

What does come naturally are the emotional outbursts, unreasonable demands, not taking responsibilty for their own actions, pouting, etcetera, etcetera.

Yet, at the very heart of all temperamental, spontaneous, childish behaviours is a driving need for structure in order to set the foundation for future (adult) self-control.

This means…

Parents should not be surprised by their child’s unruly behaviour – a child should not feel that their parent is disappointed in them. Rather, a child should expect to be corrected and given the opportunity to “do better” the next time, because, of course there will be a “next time”.
Children need rules, guidelines – without instruction a child is left adrift. How can a young boy or girl learn how to build acceptable responses, if there is little or no structure in their lives in order for them to display the correct behaviour? Short answer – they can’t.

“This is how you are to behave in grocery store… “

“When we are visiting at grandma’s, you must not…”

“In the car, the law says you must wear a seat belt…”

“You must take care of your new backpack in this way…”

Do not reward a child for ‘reasonable’ behaviour – they don’t “deserve” one for behaving properly. As adults, we don’t receive a medal for not lashing out at an unreasonable boss. No, we understand that by controlling our temper we might get to keep our job. The sad reality is that there are far too many adults who believe they are entitled and they are demanding. Consider that this problem may be the result of being overly rewarded as children.

These are but a few recommendations, on helping children build a foundation of becoming adults, who enjoy the freedom and confidence that comes with possessing a healthy sense of self-control.

Thanks for the visit.

Suzanne Rightley is an author of children’s fiction books. Her genres range from mystery, to sports, to health, for ages 7 – 15; her books take the subtle opportunity to build the merits of responsible, respectful character traits, without any child-dreaded “preachiness”. Click here for her author page.

Character Development · Lifestyle Changes · Nutritional Health · Parenting · Parenting Tips

Nurturing Nutrition in Formative Years

August 28, 2022 SuzanneLeave a comment

It is generally understood that from conception to the first five to seven years of life (some argument here) a child’s brain is like a computer that readily accepts ‘downloads’ without any conscious effort on their part.

To understand the impact of the above statement, all a person needs to do is consider their own ‘default’ mechanisms. Example: under stressful situation what is his or her automatic reaction – run to the fridge, go full on silent treatment toward others, throw something, etc?

Parental Responsibility/Opportunity/Duty?

Responsibilty – Parents want the best for their children. They want them to find their place in this world and to be content, happy, well-adjusted in life – in their careers, and personal relationships.
Opportunity – Parents know the importance of the formative years. This is where a knowledgable parent takes advantage, and seizes the moment to build ‘character traits’ within the subconscious of their offspring, nurturing their individuality, personality, and intellect.
Duty – Parents are expected to ‘rear’ their children into productive members of society. Is there a nation on earth that welcomes deviant behaviour in its citizens? Obviously not. To the contrary, a country can only benefit from a responsible, law-abiding population.

Nutrition and Making Healthy Choices

Parents are in a unique place…

They can educate their children on merits of nutrition

They can provide them with nutritious meals, controlled snacks, necessary intermittent fasting intervals (refering to time needed between meals for metabolic health reasons)

Establish patterns of activity, exercise, sports, and so forth as a way of life; sitting around in front of TV screen/computer/mobile devices is not the best way to ‘pass time’ away

Ultimately… parents are the primary programmers of their child’s developing brain. The old adage of ‘do as I say, not as I do’ should give every parent of moment of reflection. Children are far more likely to ‘download’ your responses, your means of dealing with pressure, your choices, and etc. by what they witness you doing.

So, when it comes to making healthy food choices, help your growing child establish healthy patterns by first establishing your own. You might be able to give an impressive lecture on nutrition and the dangers of ‘added sugar’, but if your go-to response in times of stress is a bag of Oreos or a pint of Haagen-Dazs…

Then don’t be surprised if your child doesn’t make healthy food choices when hanging out with his or her friends.

Thanks for the visit.

Suzanne Rightley is a children’s author. She writes for independent readers between the ages of 7-15. Her genres include: mystery (7-9) detective (12+) sports-themed (12+) and health awareness (10-14).

For parents and teachers who look to educate kids in matters of health – Suzanne’s Granola Brea Series addresses issues of obesity, diabetes, dementia, and other metabolic diseases associated with poor lifestyles, including nutrition. Children learn about importance of making healthy choices as they laugh along with a 12-year-old health-nut… one hilarious incident after another.

After all… eating healthy isn’t always an easy thing to do… in our junk-food, overly processed world!

Visit Granola Brea’s Page on Suzanne Rightley‘s official website: Granola Brea Health-Nut

Character Development · Parenting · Parenting Tips · Society and Values

Why Teaching a Child to “Ask” is a Great Character Forming Skill

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022 SuzanneLeave a comment

Parents, good parents, and even less than good parents, have several things in common.

It doesn’t matter where we live, north, south, east, or west, parents love their kids, and they want the best for them.

Obviously, the above statement simpliflies the hopes and dreams that parents have for their children… but, you get the idea. Parents want their kids to grow up, be good citizens, and ultimately they want them to be happy in life.

Why Teach Kids to “ASK”

Think about it…

If a person takes the time to ‘ask’ permission for… well, just about anything… that person understands and respects the ownership of someone else. “May I use your restroom?” “Can you give me a lift, after work?” “Is it okay to use your name as a reference?” and so on and so on.

No-brainer you say?

Not true. Someone (hint, hint… a parent, teacher, neighbour, etc.) somehow or someway taught you and I the importance of ‘asking’.

Now consider the thief, the fraudster, plagiarist, etcetera – ‘asking’ seldom makes it to top of their priority list.

No… teaching a child to ask may seem like a ‘no-brainer’ because we kind of do it — naturally, but for the purpose of this blog… let’s consider how much better a child’s life could be … if … he or she, were specifically taught to ask.

Self-control – Teaching a child to ask is directly teaching them how to control themselves. Asking permission begins the process of setting limits. “Can I go out to play?” (Not now, you haven’t finished your homework.) “May I have another piece of cake?” (Too much added sugar isn’t healthy for you.)
Responsibility – The underlying concept of ‘asking permission’ is the recognition of ownership. We ask others for the use of their things because we understand that those things belong to someone else. Furthermore, we have our own things that we are responsible for. Asking ultimately makes us responsible owners… We learn to ‘take care of our things’ once we are taught to appreciate our own possessions. “Can I play with your Legos?” (Okay, but don’t throw them all over my room.) This could be an example of two children who have been taught to recognize the value of ownership and the importance of asking permission.
Respect for Others – Teaching children to ask is teaching children to be respectful for the rights of other people. At the end of the day… whether we agree or disagree with the actions of our friends, neighbours, etc… it becomes secondary to their rights of ownership (the items they own and the stipulations they place upon their belongings, or their thoughts, views, opinions, and beliefs). Being respectful is a valuable character trait that is undeniably appreciated the world over.

In summary…

Teaching kids to ask is the responsibility of adults. It’s an easy concept to incorporate in daily life. “Did you ask me if it was okay to shove your dirty socks under the bed instead of the laundry hamper?” Add a lengthy speech about odors, bacteria, and the fact that sooner or later they’ll run out of clean socks… and you’ve taught a child that asking first may be the easiest, and less annoying way, to gravitate through life.

Thanks for your visit. Please check out Children’s Fiction Books written by Suzanne Rightley on her website: suzannerightley.com