Let’s talk about empowerment this month. What is empowerment? By dictionary definition, empowerment is the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights. When children feel strong, they are more likely to build resilience. When children feel confident, they are more eager to learn/try new things. When children are independent, they know how to make choices for their life, and they are able to respect and value others. We are going to use some books to empower children and parents.
Books for 2 years old and up:
Sometimes, it might be hard for young toddlers to overcome small fears. However, with time passing by, children start to realize that they are no longer scared of things they were scared of. What parents can learn from this book? Parents can learn 2 things: perspective and motivation. Parents can encourage children to overcome fear by changing children’s perspectives towards the fear. For example, if a child is afraid of loud flush noise from the toilet, parents may tell the child he/she will get the chance to flush the toilet all be him/herself like a big boy/girl. Besides that, parents can motivate children by picturing a future scenario. For example, if a kid is scared of going to new places, parents may tell the kid when he/she grows up, he/she will find it’s a very easy thing to do. The way caregivers talk to children will affect the way children’s brains become “wired”.
It’s always important to teach children to appreciate and be proud of everything about themselves, inside and out at a very young age. The exuberant rhymes and vivid illustrations easily catch young children’s attention. No matter what other people say about me, I like me because I am me, the only me. We want our children to celebrate self-acceptance and self-love no matter what happens to them. Kids who feel good about themselves have the confidence to try new things.
This book is one of my favorite books about empowerment. The little engine never went over the mountain, but she believed that she could accomplish the task, and she did. It’s always easy for children to say I can’t or I give up. But caregivers should encourage children to believe in themselves. Parents can use this book to encourage children to say “I think I can!”.
Books for 3 years old and up:
You may be small in the whole wild world, but you matter. Every small thing matters in this world. No matter how you behave, how you feel about yourself, or how things are going on around you, you matter. Christian Robinson wants to make sure all kinds of kids know that they matter. The existence of a living organism matters. As long as children believe in themselves, they will be eager to learn more about themselves, and the world. Children will work hard to create new things and solve problems. Let’s tell our children that they matter!
Walt is the smallest snowplow in the facility. No one wants to pick him to clean the big snow. The other big snowplows look down on Walt. But Walt tries his best to prove that he is a trustworthy snowplow. Walt and his driver never give up no matter how bad the situation is. How do parents teach perseverance? Maybe Small Walt can give caregivers some ideas. Let children know that they might be small, but as long as they don’t give up, they will reach their goals.
Books for 4 years old and up:
This book tells children that they can do anything they want to be. Sometimes, life may be hard or unfair, but children need to remember that they always can overcome the hardships in life as long as they believe in themselves. In addition, this book also reminds children to show kindness, love, and respect to people around them. People come with different appearances, beliefs, and opinions. We want our children to learn how to cherish their own opinions and beliefs as well as others’.
Dear Girl, A Celebration of Wonderful, Smart, Beautiful You! by Paris Rosenthal, Amy Krouse Rosenthal (this book has a boy version calls Dear Boy)
This is an empowering book for girls. It asks girls to embrace every unique aspect of themselves. Sometimes, it’s totally ok to do something “crazy”, it’s ok to stay alone, and it’s ok not to be invited to a party. It’s important for girls to know that they are strong, powerful and hold a valuable place in the world.
Alma has a long name. Behind each name, there is a meaningful story. Name is such a special thing to one’s identity. One way for children to empower themselves is to encourage children to embrace their identity, heritage and meaning behind their names. It’s always important for kids to learn about their heritage and unique family culture. Children will develop a positive sense of identity and build self-esteem when learning their own culture. Tell your kids the meaning behind their names and discover some special family traditions together.
No matter how old you are, you have something important to present. Parents should also embrace the uniqueness of each stage, good or naughty. “The important thing about you is you are you!” Let children embrace their uniqueness. Appreciate your children’s uniqueness.
Books for 6 years old and up:
In this book, children will have the opportunity to learn about 50 intrepid women from around the world and throughout history. The simple biography of these 50 ladies showed their childhood, challenges they faced and the changes they made. This book inspires young readers, especially girls to be strong and pursue their dreams. Also, I appreciate the diversity the author included in the book. The book basically covers influential women from all types of backgrounds.
Talk to your kids and ask them when do they feel they are strong, and when do they feel they are powerless. When they feel strong, how do they feel about themselves? When they feel powerless, how do they feel about themselves? What can we do to change the adverse situation?
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