Where do babies come from? Where did all the dinosaurs go? How come we don’t have a car? Children are full of curiosity. Sometimes it seems like the questions just keep coming! And let’s be honest, they aren’t always the easiest to answer.
That’s where books come in. Using books as conversation starters with your child is a great way to tackle some of the more difficult questions your little one comes up with. Talking about the big life things that really matter with your child is important! It builds an emotional connection with your son that helps him process his feelings and the world around him.
One trick is to use someone else – like a character in a book – and their experience to create emotional distance or space from the topic at hand. That distance helps everyone feel more comfortable opening up, or for you to explore the topic too. Your child will start to see or hear themselves in the story, and can use the character’s feelings to process their own.
Life is full of new experiences! Some are filled with joy – like the arrival a new baby or riding a bike for the first time. Others may come with some sadness – like losing a loved one. And some come with all the emotions in between. Maybe your child is feeling a little nervous about starting kindergarten. Or they don’t think they’ll be very good at soccer when you suggest trying it for the first time. The point is that for every difficult topic you and your daughter face, we bet that there is a great book just waiting to be discovered to help you talk about it, together.
Having these meaningful conversations will strengthen your bond as a family, but we know they can be hard to dig into. So dig in to that conversation, with a book.
Would you like a specific book recommendation for a topic your child is facing at home? Post your topic on our Facebook page or send us a message!
Speaking of difficult conversations, did you know that April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month? Learn more about child abuse in Alaska and what you can do to prevent it here.
