Welcome to Storytime! Today Miss Dawn is reading Milton & Odie and the Bigger-than-Bigmouth Bass. Listen and see if they can overcome their problems to catch the big fish they’re hoping for.
Parent Tip
Odie had more fun fishing because he was more resilient than Milton. Resilience and perseverance, the ability to bounce back and keep trying even when facing problems, are key to meeting long-term goals and learning new skills. When children are learning something new, like reading or riding a bike, it is the ability to stay positive and keep working even when difficulties arise that will determine their success.
One of the best ways to instill these traits in kids is to set an example. Let them see how calm you are when you face a challenge. Try a few different solutions and talk to your kids about what worked and what didn’t.
More Fun
Play the game Unfortunately, Fortunately from Big Life Journal Blog with your child often to help them look at circumstances from both sides and find the silver lining.
Have fun drawing or painting fish to create this simple fishing game then test your child’s fishing skills. You can mark the fish with numbers or letters and challenge them to catch the fish in numerical or alphabetical order, to spell their name or other words they are learning. To make it more difficult my mother put them in a kiddie pool or large flat container and poured uncooked rice (you could use dried beans or packing popcorn) over the top to hide the fish and make it more difficult.
Puzzles are a great way to work on building perseverance and a can-do attitude. I love this puzzle idea because there isn’t a right or wrong way to put it together other than to fill the square. You can use any size square or rectangle and any blocks or cut shapes from paper. It’s also a great way to begin learning about shapes and spatial concepts.
Here’s a great Jack Hartmann song to learn and remember when you’re facing a problem.
These are some more stories about finding the positive even when things aren’t going your way.
Dawn Buttery
Dawn's favorite thing about being an outreach storyteller is getting young children excited about reading & learning! When she isn't out telling stories or helping you find just the right book at the library, she is reading or using what she's read to enjoy her hobbies. You may see her out with her camera taking pictures or walking her dog Honey. She also loves cooking with the fresh herbs in her garden.