Help Kids Tell a Story with an Experience Book

My daughter loves making books and telling stories, though she usually doesn’t get more than a couple of pages done before she moves on to the next project.

I love the idea of collaborating on a book where I take pictures of an event or outing, she writes the story (which could just be the child telling you what they liked or remembered most about the day rather than literally having them write down a story) and you combine the words and images into a little book they wrote and may be able to read themselves.

Parenting Chaos calls these experience books, and they’re a great way to get kids who might not be able to read and write on their own yet to tell a story and share their experiences and feelings. It also makes a keepsake that you and your child will love to have in later years.

Do you make books with your kids? I’d love to hear about it.

[Photo via Parenting Chaos.]

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Summer Reading Printables and Tips for Parents

One way to help teach kids about Thanksgiving and why it’s important to be grateful is by reading books, and Little Mole Gives Thanks by Glenys Nellist, illustrated by Sally Garland, is a sweet story about the value of friendship and sharing.

Little Mole has made a feast and invited some very important guests, but when they all cancel at the last minute, Mole is reminded that the most important people in his life are his friends and family. All the animals in the forest join together and have a feast, raising a glass to the creatures who are always there for them.

It’s a quick little story but it’s sweet, and the book also includes a little information about how you can plan your own fancy forest feast.

This would be a really fun thing to do with a preschool group. You could read the book and plan your own fancy forest feast, which could be a regular lunch made fancy by eating outside and making some fun decorations for the table or picnic area. Families could bring food or kids can help prepare a treat in the classroom, depending on how you’re set up.

I also love the idea of using a book like this to talk about the people who are important in our lives. Mole’s special guests — the school principal, a firefighter and the mayor — are all important people and worth being thankful for, but in our day-to-day lives, the people who are closest to us are really the ones who are most important and who we should be thankful for. But it’s easy to forget showing gratitude to people we see all the time.

And that’s really what Thanksgiving is all about! Giving thanks for those people who are important to us on special days, but on every other day, too. Little Mole Gives Thanks is an easy way to start those conversations with little kids.

About the book: 32 pages, hardcover, published 2023 by Beaming Books, suggested retail price $17.99.

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