Dec 21, 2010 by Jenn Reid |
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The end of the year is often a busy time for many families. Despite the excitement that the holidays can bring (time off from work and school, visiting friends and relatives, and/or welcoming guests, etc.), it can also be a stressful and unpredictable time for young children. For this reason, it is important to maintain some consistency during those times of the year that are different from your normal routine. The Lucy Daniels Center article, Managing Holiday Stress, provides a perspective on this time of year that is often overlooked, but important when thinking about how to best help young children. Below is an excerpt:
"The winter holiday season can be exciting, pleasurable - and stressful. By planning ahead, parents can help make the holidays a meaningful experience for their children. However, it takes some work and preparation to help children through the holiday season.
The role of consistency: Children and adults depend on order and predictability. Everyone prefers his or her particular balance of stability and change. Even adults who thrive on the stimulation of change also depend upon stability and constancy.
Children require even more stability and predictability than adults do to be emotionally grounded. After all, children are just building their internal foundation of stability and depend more on the external environment as an anchor. The younger the child, the more this is the case.
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Children benefit when bedtime routines are maintained as much as possible. If the family is traveling, parents can take along their children's favorite comfort items, books and other treasured details of the bedtime routine. Maintaining a consistent bedtime also helps."
Dec 14, 2010 by Karen Lewis Taylor |
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Building on the success of its inaugural Bookmarked! festival in the spring of 2010, Lucy’s Book Club (LBC) has announced the dates and featured author for 2011.
Three-time Caldecott Honor Award winner Molly Bang, who has written and illustrated more than 30 books for children, will join local celebrity-heroes and hundreds of Wake County families in celebrating the delights of children’s literature and the special joys of reading together. She will be the second recipient of the Lucy Daniels Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to children’s literature that supports social and emotional health.
Ms. Bang is the author/illustrator of three Caldecott Honor Books: The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher (1981), Ten, Nine, Eight (1983), and When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry… (2000). When Sophie Gets Angry and All of Me! A Book of Thanks (2009) have been featured on Lucy’s Book Club lists, and her philosophy as a children’s author reflects the purpose behind LBC and Bookmarked!: “Reading picture books together is one of the nicest ways to snuggle with your child, be close, and talk about things that are important,” she has said.
In crafting works that capture, as Publisher Weekly has noted, “the voice and feelings of a young child,” Ms. Bang has contributed to the body of children’s literature that “treats childhood emotions with respect.” In fact, Ms. Bang has cited Judith Viorst—Bookmarked! 2010’s featured author and the first recipient of the Lucy Daniels Award—as one of her inspirations.
To learn more about this exciting event, visit Bookmarked! 2011's overview page and check back frequently throughout the spring.
I was struck and troubled as I watched a group of young children clustered around a computer screen at a mall kiosk watching animated story books, complete with music and sound effects. They stood staring with an occasional smile or a clap, but the experience was one of passive engagement. How much different it would have been to take that same story book and hop up on the inviting lap of mom or dad to talk about the pictures, make up the voices for the characters (adding excitement or perhaps giggles to the dialogue), and imagine together what would come next – offering guesses about the possibilities with shared anticipation. The kiosk experience was much like seeing a movie before reading the book!
