We all want our kids to be ready for this upcoming year and the future as a whole. One great way to help children gain and develop skills is through reading. This can be done through fiction books with characters who possess important qualities like bravery or empathy as well as through books specifically geared toward a certain skill. What follows are some important titles and themed books that could help your child develop a number of skills to use in 2019 and beyond.
1. Write from the Start
Writing is a skill that is important in any field. Both academic and professional settings require at least a solid grasp of writing, and having true talent in the area can really make a difference.
Whether your child is writing an essay or preparing to enter the workforce, having strong writing skills will boost his or her ability to communicate effectively. Strong writers are commonly sought after in many fields, and it’s essential for succeeding in school.
This book will enhance your child’s natural ability, taking the talents and creativity he or she already possesses and helping better express all of it on paper.
2. The Fun of Cooking
Cooking is a necessary life skill for any man, woman or child. We all need to eat, and learning the basics of cooking is both practical and fun. After all, cooking helps teach children the importance of responsibility, patience, multi-tasking and creativity. Spending time in the kitchen is a fun and tasty way to keep your child moving and maintaining productivity. It also makes for a great break from homework.
This book by Jill Krementz (author of numerous other exploratory titles) supplies some fun recipes geared towards children, giving you a great starting place for some culinary creativity.
3. How to Play Chess
This may seem like a pretty basic book, but the concept is more important than anything. Learning how to play games like chess is an important life skill for your child for many reasons. While your child may not take this book and grow to become the next world champion or even a member of their school’s chess team, the skills acquired learning to play games like this one will give him or her a leg up in many social and educational settings.
Chess helps individuals learn problem solving skills, analysis, strategy, patience and many other noteworthy character traits. Plus, it’s always great to know how to play in case someone has a chess set ready!
4. Math Made Easy
Math is a subject many kids find frustrating, so a simple, helpful book could go a long way. This particular title is geared toward middle-school aged children, but other books exist to assist children no matter how old they are.
Whether your child is naturally gifted with math or is having a hard time, this book can help boost his or her skills. Indeed, math is an objectively important subject for children to learn. It is prevalent in academia and also opens doors to a number of viable career options.
David Dodge, CEO of CodaKid, states:
“Every business in nearly every sector is becoming a technology company. In order to prepare our kids for the jobs of tomorrow, we need to strengthen their skills in math, science and even the language of computation. Even students who don’t end up in STEM careers will find these skills essential in tomorrow’s world.”
Even if STEM subjects aren’t your child’s cup of tea and he or she goes into a different career field in the future, the added problem solving skills acquired from excelling at math will undoubtedly be of help.
5. So You Want to be President?
This book is a fun and informational way for your child to learn about past presidents. As the 2001 Caldecott Winner, you know the illustrations will not disappoint. And while the focus is mainly on historical education, the book itself gives your child context about the past leaders of our country. In doing so, it explores ideas of work ethic and the kinds of backgrounds past leaders have possessed.
Many elements in our presidents’ pasts are things that cannot be controlled, such as family or social status. However, there are many examples of hard work and making tough choices with integrity that also played into their development.
It is important for our children to know about historical context. This book helps depict that in a fun and sometimes comical way that children can enjoy and relate to. It also gives them a chance to envision themselves in these presidents’ shoes, and whether your kid becomes president or not, he or she just may be inspired to dream big. The world needs good leaders, after all.
In summary, no matter what your child experiences in 2019, it never hurts to give them a boost in preparedness. Books are a fantastic way to do this since they teach life skills, both practically through reading and comprehension and through the subject matters they explore.
If you feel that your kids could benefit from learning skills like cooking, leadership, strategy, writing and math, these books are a great place to start. Otherwise, use them as a jumping off point, and share with us other titles you've found to be helpful in the comments below.
Source: Codakid
