Tips for teaching children important life lessons, from a dad and popular children’s author
Teaching important life lessons is one of the greatest gifts a parent or guardian can pass down to their young children. This is particularly crucial at an age where they’re about to enter Kindergarten or school and will have to draw on what they’ve learned from trusted adults to help them make their own decisions and navigate through life.
But how do you start a conversation about an important topic and communicate it in a way that the child will understand and remember?
PRG Collins is a father, grandfather and children’s author of the popular book series, Life Lessons for Kids, that helps teach life lessons and discipline through a range of relatable and memorable animal characters. Aimed at children aged 4 – 8 years old, the stories were inspired by PRG Collins’ personal experience raising his own children.
Drawing on his four decades of experience, PRG Collins shares his Top Tips for teaching young children important lessons that will help set them up for life.
Timing – Choose the right moment.
Kids 4 – 8 years old typically concentrate and listen when they are in a quiet environment, like classroom reading time or pre-bedtime in their room. This is the ideal time to approach an important conversation; with minimal distraction, there’s a better chance they will listen and absorb what’s being shared.
Introduce the subject clearly or pose a question that leads into a discussion.
Questioning in a quiet moment can open a discussion such as: “Do you ever wonder why so many fires start? Burning down houses and hurting people? Let me tell you about a Snake called Sammy.” Or: “All kids your age have to go to the dentist some time, but imagine if you hardly had to have anything done? Let me tell you about a Horse called Honey.” Or: “Today we’re going to read about how learning to swim can save someone’s life…or even your own. It’s a story about a dog called Ruffy.” This primes the children to listen, capturing their attention on what’s about to be shared. Kids love storytelling – it’s much more engaging and memorable – so if you can talk about a topic through a story or example, they’re more likely to listen carefully and remember.
Spark curiosity, not fear.
The aim of these conversations is not to scare children when talking about possibly scary subjects. It is rather to lead their thinking to: “What would I do in a situation that will most likely come up in my life over the next 5 – 15 years to enable me to stay safer, to give me the correct ‘gut’ feel about something, to prompt me to be able to quickly assess a danger, to be better able to keep myself healthy and happy!” Life Lessons for Kids books can be used as a tool to talk about a range of topics, challenges and situations in a way that’s gentle, enjoyable and nurturing.
15 new titles have just been released in the Life Lessons for Kids book series:
- A Frog Called Freddy
- A Goat Called Curly
- A Hippo Called Henry
- A Kangaroo Called LJ
- A Pig Called Doris
- A Sheep Called Mo
- A Duck Called Francis
- An Elephant Called Boris
- A Horse Called Honey
- A Rabbit Called Sneeze
- A Lion Called King
- A Cow Called Larry
- A Snake Called Monty
- A Hen Called Pecker
- A Wolf Called Pedro
The above titles complement the original 9 books in the series:
- A Dog Called Ruffy – Learn to Swim
- A Tiger Called Luger – About Being Yourself
- A Fish Called Goldie – Staying Positive
- A Bird Called Swoopy – Stealing is Wrong
- A Monkey Called Smoochie – A story about separated parents
- A Zebra Called Hoops – A tale about special needs
- A Bear Called Bruno – Being Bulled
- A Giraffe Called Stretch – Being Nosey
- A Cat Called Cookie – Being Fair
The Life Lessons for Kids books are available for purchase from the following retailers:
Amazon
Angus & Robertson
Booktopia
Dymocks
RRPs:
Soft cover $9+
Hard cover $14+
For more information, visit:
https://alifelessonforkids.com
