I Walk with Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness, by Kerascoët
What can we say...? This wordless picture book is simply fantastic. It is perfect for teaching children about kindness and helping other people. If you’re new to wordless picture books, don’t worry, by following the pictures and the emotions of the characters’ faces, the story easily draws you in.
Vanessa is a little girl who moves to a new home and starts a new school. At the beginning of the story, we can see that Vanessa is lonely and she runs into some trouble with a classmate.
Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
Shyness – it's part of all of us
If you remember moments of shyness as a child, it might be important to you that your child is confident in a wide range of situations, and you might worry if they seem to hesitate when somewhere new. Some researchers suggest shyness can be linked to temperament, which means some people might be more likely to be shy than others – but this doesn’t mean this is never going to change and how you respond when your child feels shy can help them thrive.[1]
Feeling shy is natural and it happens to us all – even famous performers and celebrities have moments when they feel shy.
The art of conversation – more about the skills your child needs to master to communicate
Your child is developing their social and language skills now and becoming a brilliant communicator. What do they need in order to have a conversation?
You will notice your child is including more information when talking to other people. They are thinking about what the person already knows and what information they need to share so the other person understands them.
Finding it hard to get moving on a bike? Five simple steps to help your child ride independently
Is your child asking difficult questions? How to deal with answering them
Your child may sometimes catch you by surprise when asking a question that’s tough to answer. They may also throw a question at you about someone who is close by, and it could feel embarrassing. But, as they gain an awareness of their world, all they want to do is find out something they don’t yet know. They mean no harm or embarrassment; they simply need to access an answer to a thought that has popped into their heads.
Here's some ideas for when you find yourself wondering, ‘How am I going to answer this?’
Winning and losing – developing emotional regulation
We all have moments of disappointment in life, it might be missing out on the promotion you were hoping for or seeing your favourite football team relegated. We can cope with disappointment and might have some strategies to help us respond calmly, but that takes practice. So, how might playing games help your child develop these skills?
Coping with disappointment takes lots of practice and uses our executive functions skills (that help us plan, control impulses and stay focused), which take time to develop.