The start of a new year is the perfect time to teach your child about the importance of developing healthy habits, like practicing gratitude, forming good hygiene routines, and self-regulating your emotions. But it takes time to make a healthy habit stick, and books are a great way to teach kids.
Show Kids How to Incorporate Healthy Habits Into Their Daily Life
Kids are more likely to adopt healthy habits when they are in a positive and supportive environment. Through relatable characters in books, you can help your child get into a healthy routine. For example, encourage your child to prioritize good hygiene with Now Wash Your Hands — a visual book that serves as a great introduction to germs and how hand washing helps prevent sickness. There’s also Brush, Brush, Brush!, a read-aloud that teaches your toddler about oral hygiene.
Developing positive habits means minding your mental and emotional health, too. Reading social-emotional books about confidence from an early age will help your child boost their self-esteem. For example, Princess Truly is a confident character who loves to problem solve and stay involved in her community. In I Am a Super Girl!, Truly helps her friend Lizzie feel better after her cake is ruined. Kids will learn how to handle tough situations from a young age with confidence and resilience.
The intentional practice of showing gratitude will help your kid maintain a positive perspective on life. Peppa Gives Thanks will help your child learn how to be grateful for what they already have. Peppa wants a toy that she doesn’t currently have but realizes that she has so many other toys to be thankful for. This good habit is a life skill that your little one can use to navigate feelings of jealousy and wanting more.
By reading helpful books and modeling good behavior yourself, your kids will understand how adopting positive habits will benefit them in the long run. These books are a great introduction to important social-emotional development topics without overwhelming your child — and they serve as a conversation starter.
Shop all popular books related to building good habits below! You can find more books and activities at The Scholastic Store.
