Parenting Thought:

Teaching Children to Take Care of Themselves

Help your child make his own Boo-Boo kit. This is a collection of things he can use to help himself when he gets hurt. It is not to replace the family first-aid kit. It is something extra to encourage your child to be responsible and confident about  taking care of himself as he grows older.

1.  Pick out a container. It could be plastic, cardboard, cloth, or even a paper bag. Let your child decorate it with crayons, markers, or paint. Make sure he can open and close it easily.

2.  Work together to find things to put in the Boo-Boo kit. Make sure they are safe things that he will be able to use himself if he gets hurt – special band aids, muscle wraps, stuffed animal, a small toy, a book. Don’t put in anything (for example, medicines or creams) that could be dangerous, if he were to get in the kit without you there.

3.  Decide where to put the kit. Make sure he can easily get to it.

While working on this kit together explain what things you think he can do for himself when he is hurt. Remind him that if he were hurt, two people would be ready and glad to take care of him – you and him.

Summer’s Picture Books

We have been amazed at how much good parenting information is in children’s picture books – books that we hope you are reading everyday to the children in your lives – your own, your class, those you take care of.  For each book, we are noting there is something in it to remind you of how to be the parent you want to be.

• THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN by Tiffany Strelitz Haber

What’s in it for you, the reader? 

A reminder that preschool-aged children test out what it means to be mean, but you can help them learn that there are good reasons to give up being mean to be nice.

• OLIVER AND HIS ALLIGATOR by Paul Schmid

What’s in it for you, the reader?

A reminder that the first days of school can be scary for your children at any age and that you can help them get over those fears.

• KATIE AND THE PUPPY NEXT DOOR by John Himmelman

What’s in it for you, the reader?

A reminder that all children have trouble sharing, but you can help them learn that it also can be fun to share.

• I WILL LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT by Jay Rutland

What’s in it for you, the reader?

A reminder that your children need to know you love them no matter what – “On fun days and sad days and happy days and mad days….”

Read All About It:

SELF-ESTEEM A FAMILY AFFAIR, Jean Illsley Clarke

GROWING UP AGAIN: PARENTING OURSELVES, PARENTING OUR CHILDREN, Jean Illsley Clarke and Connie Dawson

Surf the Internet:

grandparents in other countries