The Cat In The Hat describes the antics of a cat who shows children many different ways they can have fun on a dreary rainy day when mom's away.There is a fish in a pot who is very afraid of the cat in the hat as well as his two sidekicks.
The fish keeps encouraging the kids to kick the cat out of the house and to not trust the cat.
It shows the difference between imaginary fears and real fears. (I once read that 96% of our worries never see the light of day, i.e, most worries and fears drain our energy and weaken our spirits).
If you haven't read The Cat In The Hat in awhile, it's worth the effort if you have young children.
It serves as one of the self help books for kids because it inspires kids to think outside the box as well as to develop trust, examine fear, and to deepen discrimination.
The Sneetches and Other Stories is one of the most important self help books for kids.The first story The Sneetches shows kids the importance of accepting yourself, which I describe on Character Education Lessons.
The more we can accept ourselves for who we are at the present moment, the greater joy and happiness, peace and contentment we have in the Now.
We can change what we may not like about ourselves, but it does absolutely no good to beat ourselves up and to feel miserable, sad, disgusted and upset with ourselves for being who we are in any moment.
When we accept our shortcomings and love ourselves anyway, we're more able to be accepting of others and their shortcomings, without judging and criticizing them.
The third story in the book What Was I Scared Of describes how imaginary fears can make us miserable and unhappy, when ultimately they are only imaginary.
It's about confronting your fears and every child is faced with imaginary fears.
Nowadays, there is extensive fear permeating our society, and it limits our creative capacity and our willingness to take risks, something many self help books for adults focus on.
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose is another one of Dr. Seuss's self help books for kids.It shows how being kind can get you in trouble. It makes the point that we can go overboard in being nice to others at our own expense.
In other words, it helps kids learn to set healthy boundaries, to learn to say no when it's appropriate and necessary, two critical components of self help.
For a more in depth discussion of fear and trust, visit teaching character traits.
Self Help for Kids
Is self help for kids a necessary part of their education?
Do self help books for kids actually help kids?
Many children struggle with their identity and self esteem. They struggle with fitting in, feeling good about themselves, being confident in their abilities.
Any book that can assist kids in a fun, gentle way can be of service to kids.
Kids also struggle with accepting themselves, with diet and nutrition, with their emotional and mental health.
Ever since 9/11, our nation has been gripped with more fear than ever before about threats of foreign invasion. Thoughts are powerful and our kids are affected by all the negativity they are exposed to.
Kids also have to deal with loss and grief as kids experience death all around them. Kids have a lot on their plates and many people feel we've been rushing our kids through childhood.
Anything we can do to assist kids through the tumultuous times we're living in, the better.
Self help books for kids have their part to play.
Kids must learn how to make and keep friends, then how to deal with their feelings of loss and grief when a friend moves on or passes away.
My belief is that each and every mom is doing the best she can at loving and caring for her kids every moment, otherwise she'd be doing something different.
Often times, self help books for kids help with doing something different.
Check out some of the links and resources on spiritual books for children for more about self help for kids.
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The information found on Self Help Books for Kids is the property of Childrens Educational Books.
Kindly treat us as you would family and friends. Thank you. Gratefully, Harvey
