As an educator of over 18 years, I have always been a huge advocate for reading to children! In fact, one of my very first published pieces in my doctoral program was on just that, the importance of spending time reading to kids of all ages! There is an abundance of research available related to the benefits of this precious time with children.
One of the advantages is simply spending valuable time doing something that is going to positively impact a child’s academic future, since reading is involved in everything we do! Another advantage comes within the subjects you choose to read about with a child. These days, with mental health on the forefront of everyone’s radar, spending some of this time reading books that support a child’s social and emotional well-being is a very productive use of time! There are so many wonderful books that are available, many of which I plan to share in this blog.
In my personal experience, I have found that instead of always sitting down and focusing on these topics in a conversation, it is much more natural and enjoyable to do it through a read aloud. I have a collection of books in a basket in our room. Before Everly goes to bed, either I or my husband read one of these books to her. It is her choice which title she would like to read from that basket. I find myself many times during our read aloud each night, stopping throughout the book and having important conversations with my daughter. She also stops me and makes connections between the messages from the book and her own life. We refer back to these books often and read them many times.
Throughout our medical journey with Everly, it has been important to not only include titles that support her overall social and emotional well-being, but also titles about people’s differences. Books are such a wonderful way to introduce and discuss important topics to all children. For that reason, I have included three sections of book titles in this blog. I hope that you can add some of these to your collection as well!
Book Sections in this Blog:
- Book Titles Supporting Social and Emotional Health
- Book Titles Supporting People’s Differences
- Syndrome Specific Book Titles
Book Titles Supporting Social and Emotional Health: These are all titles that we have and use in our home often! Although the book level may not completely match your child as a reader, the topics in this book can apply to everyone. With the support of an adult reading and conversing with the child, the opportunities for social and emotional growth are endless!
Book Titles About Differences: Having a medically fragile child presents different kinds of everyday challenges. In my experience, as the children get older, the social aspect of these differences becomes more and more apparent to them. Therefore, it is not only important to find titles to support the overall mental health of children, but also titles that introduce the topic of differences amongst people. My hope in doing this, is that Everly will understand the many differences in this world, not just her rare syndrome. Having this topic available to ALL children, helps to create a more inclusive environment for everyone!
Syndrome Specific Book Titles: For our family, having books related to Everly’s medical world, is a fluid way to educate her and others about MMIHS. One of her very favorite books to read a couple years ago was “Read Kids, Real Tubes” because she also has tubes. She was able to see real pictures of others with those same tubes, which you could tell was very important to her.
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