It is quite obvious that reading books is good for your child (and for you).  By encouraging your children to read you help them to build the world of imagination. They develop a general understanding of how the world works.

[ This post is inspired by a book I was offered free of charge to review. All opinions are my own, the post is not sponsored nor contains any affiliate links. You can read more about this “mystery” book below ]

Reading books for sure makes you smarter

Even the youngest ones, when are just able to turn the pages and show the nose or the flower. They are building new neuronal connections that will work in their brains for some long years. Isn’t that fascinating?

Good written book engage child into the story, so they practice focus and concentration. And how important is it these days, when the attention span of teenagers seems to get shorter and shorter? And how the existence of poop emoji helps with it?

Related post: This is why your kids are not listening to you

I could go on and on about how reading books reduces stress, improves memory and simply might be the best alternative to TV or YouTube. However, what I want to mention is one other invaluable quality of books.

But first a little backstory

Just a couple of weeks ago schools were closed and it was so cold that leaving home was not an option. Welcome to winter in Wisconsin. I liked how suddenly life slowed down. There was no morning rush, no need for third coffee before 10 am! I took my kids to my bedroom (which is an entertainment for them, because I usually kick them out)  and we spend some nice time reading books, choosing their favorites, analyzing the pictures and talking!

You might think it is not a big deal, but it is!

When was the last time you talked with your kids about something else than everyday plans, chores or what happened at school? When have you mentioned values you would wish your kids to live by?

The subject is getting heavy, I know. Let’s start from the beginning. Here is the point of the whole post:

Nothing sparks a conversation like reading books

I have nine-year-old and three-year-old to talk to at home. I speak a lot to my one-year-old too, but it’s hard to call it a conversation. Although she loves to watch pictures in the books. And then put the pages into her mouth and.. let’s stop it right there. I love when books look brand new and the look of the ones in my kids’ room makes me twitch a bit. I digress, sorry. Let’s leave my baby girl out of this story.

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So, we were looking into one of our newest book called “Darkpaw.

A tale of bravery”. It is a part of the Hero Pals series. It’s written in a way that even my boy, who is sooooo not interested in letters and learning, is curious and uses his little finger to track the text which is either in fonts highlighting onomatopoeias or imitating the meaning of the word.

He noticed a picture of the main hero (the cat that got scared) and asked his older brother why the cat attacks the other character. My mommy senses got sharper and I was so proud when my boys got into a conversation about the plot of the book.

You know it’s good when your toddler wants to talk about it

Talking about emotions is not something easy for toddlers. The story happened to be a perfect example of how to work through fear, how to become brave and was interesting, thanks to creating a perspective of becoming a hero.

As parents, we have the greatest ability to impact the way of our kids’ learning and listening skills. The best and proven way to do that is through modeling specific situations. To put that in simple words: give your child an example.

Related Post: (Kids are not listening series) It’s a power struggle thing.

If you want your child to read, they need to see you reading. Do you want your kids to talk to you about what they read? Try to discuss with them (choosing an appropriate level of conversation) the plot of the story you read recently.

My favorite thing about reading books with kids is that they make conversation easy and comfortable for little ones and sometimes children don’t even notice the moment we drift into talking about important issues.

That one brilliant fact that is a parenting game changer

With every open dialog, you not only get to know your kids better, but you surely have also the opportunity to plant some seeds in their little heads.

Take time to read with your kids and let the books make its magic. Focus on your child and show them how open you are on their opinions. Discuss their feelings, the choices they would make if they were in characters’ shoes. You build your relationship AND show your child how to do that later in his/her life. Can you imagine your son discussing Dostoevsky on his first date? Me neither. But Grisham? Maybe.

Related Post: Time management – Mommy Style

For now, I am waiting to go through “Superoo. The helpful hero” and the app that comes with the books in that series. Maybe that will show my lovely kids how to help mommy so that we can have even more time together!

What topic would you choose for your kiddos??

 

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The Hero Pals books review

The HeroPals book series is quite new on the market. For now, you can buy two books: about a cat Max and kangaroo Chloe. They both have superhero traits, bravery and helpfulness, respectively.

The story described in each book is simple and clear, which is exactly what I would expect from a book for targeted children at the age of 3-8. What I love about them is that they talk about important values in a way interesting for kids. My boys are superheroes’ fans! Their room is full of action figures, comics and yes, I saw more superheroes movies and cartoons that I want to admit.

What’s more, after reading the books, children are encouraged to act. They are heroes in training after all! They get three task to do, like try some new food or clean up their toys. You know, said by an animal friend is far more motivating than by a nagging mom.

So that your adventure with Max and Chloe is not over after reading a book, you can download the free app! App sounds great, especially for beginner readers since it has a read-along option. I am sure video clips and animations are fun too. Unfortunately, I couldn’t play with the app since the code scanner didn’t work for me. I’m sure it’s just a bug, that will be fixed soon.

Books are colorful, as I wrote in the post above the written text works great highlighting the meaning of the content. Pages are sturdy, what is so important with little readers! And my dear moms, even without the app, those books will buy you at least 20 minutes – priceless  

More heroes are coming!

More info: https://www.heropals.com  |   www.facebook.com/heropals