As a mother (especially the mother of a daughter), I am always worrying about my daughter’s self esteem and confidence. I am always looking for new books to help me teach her about loving herself and being confident in the things that make her unique. I’m thrilled that there are so many great books available now to spread that message. I decided to gather up some of my favorites so the next generation will benefit from the great messages included in them!
Author Archives: Vicki
How Your Dog Can Help Your Child With Reading!
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Dogs are amazing. They are fiercely loyal, friendly and happy creatures that can give you unconditional love. I have always loved dogs, and we had pet dogs when I was growing up. Our dog Sheldon (yes that is really his name!) is now my daughter’s best friend, and she loves playing with him and reading to him. I have always encouraged her to read to him because reading to dogs can be extremely beneficial to kids. Since he is such an important part of our family and her life, we like to make sure that we make is life extra special. I decided to encourage their special reading time by creating a comfortable place for them to read and snack together.
Grandma’s Kitchen: Baking with Kids
My mother loves to bake and cook. She bakes a birthday treat for every single person at her work and is always finding some new recipe to try with all of us. I have fond memories of baking cookies with her in our kitchen, and now it is also one of my daughter’s favorite things to do. Baking with kids provides so many opportunities for learning and creating memories. Today’s book acknowledges all of the love and special memories that many people associate with baking with their grandparent, and it has quickly become one of my daughter’s favorite books!
Teaching the ABC’s with Creative Alphabet Books!
Alphabet books can be a wonderful way to start introducing your children to letters and letter sounds. They provide a fun and often whimsical introduction to all the letters of the alphabet. The stories are oftentimes childhood favorites. In grad school, we studied a wide variety of alphabet books and even created our own versions for a class project. I was amazed at the wide variety of alphabet books available, and I wanted to put together some of the most fun and interactive ones that I have come across.
You are My Sunshine!
You are My Sunshine is a song that my mom sang to me a lot when I was little. It stuck with me as I grew up, and when I became a mom, it was the first song I sang to my daughter. I have sung it to her every night before bed, and it’s become our special song. She asks me to sing it when she’s sick or upset, and she sings it along with me some nights too. I was so excited when I found an illustrated version of the song, and I decided we should have some fun with it.
ABC See, Hear, Do: How to Teach Reading to Different Learning Styles
I’ve always been interested in different learning styles. One of my favorite parts of studying education was coming up with different lessons to reach various learning styles. That passion spilled over to this blog, giving me a chance to come up with lots of different activities to inspire learning from a single book. I try to give my daughter lots of ways to practice any given subject. Recently, she has been showing increasing interest in letters and letter sounds. Since she is only 2 years old, I wanted to encourage her interest in a fun way that felt less pressured. Enter ABC See, Hear, Do – a fun new way to teach reading to different learning styles!
9 Rule Breaking Books for Rebel Kids
What kid doesn’t love to bend the rules here and there? One of my favorite books growing up was The Monster at the End of this Book. I loved when Grover begged me not to turn the page, and all the excitement of being able to break the rules a little bit. There are lots of fun interactive books that break the rules, so I decided to gather a list of rule breaking books for all the rebel kids out there.
Exploring Engineering with Ellie, Engineer!
I love the push for kids (especially girls), to get involved in STEM activities and careers. I remember taking part in a contest in elementary school where we were encouraged to create an invention that we thought could solve a problem in our lives. That competition stuck with me and encouraged me to believe that I could build things that make a difference. As I grew older, I unfortunately had a streak of less than stellar science classes, leading me to pull away from the STEM fields.
Curious Fun with Don’t Ever Look Behind Door 32!
Kids love defying the rules. So a book that tells them not to do something is sure to be a hit! We had the opportunity to check out this fun new book from B.C.R. Fegan about a magical hotel with tons of rooms that you can look in….and just one that you can’t.
Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post. I received a copy of the book and compensation in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Teaching Kids to Read with ABCmouse!
I am always looking for different kinds of learning resources to use with my daughter. We read lots of books, take field trips, do crafts and activities, and also use technology to make learning fun. When I was in grad school, we did a lot of research on the benefits of using technology when teaching kids to read, and the topic has interested me ever since. I have previously talked about how allowing my daughter to have some screen time has actually helped her on her path to reading. So I was thrilled when we were given the opportunity to check out ABCmouse, and see how this platform can make learning fun!
