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habits. Another vital role that reading plays is in the development of a sound value system. This is one of the most important
thing to be aware of when thinking about the best things for growing minds. It is impossible for parents to provide every value
enriching experience that their children need and this is where childrens' literature can play an important role. First we will
briefly discuss what values are and why they need to be developed.
Why parents should actively manage the development of their child's values.
A value system is a set of beliefs that each person keeps in their mind. Their value system is what tells them how to behave and
whether something is good or bad. Values tell a person how to live their life, what actions to take, what sort of people to spend
time with and determine many aspects of their life path. When a teenager declines a ride home with their drunken friends, their
value system has spoken. When a young man decides to rob a store, his value system has spoken. It is every parent's responsibilty
to give their kids the right kind of value system.
A value system is like a navigation system for a person's life. Young people are especially needful of this navigation. Without a
proper system of navigation in place it is easy to take a wrong turn. When you're driving, it is easy to turn around. When the
wrong turn is a life decision it is far less easy. When young people take a wrong into a drug lifestyle, or get a criminal
record, or fall in with bad friends that's because their navigation system is faulty. Values are that navigation system. Parents
who fail to give their kids a sound value system fail their kids.
Building the right values can only happen in childhood. Anyone who has ever tried to speak sense to a teenager can tell you that.
All of a person's important attitudes to life are in place before they get to high school. Adults and teenagers grow and change,
but their fundamental value system stays in place.
Role models are the most important socializing influence a parent can provide for their kids, but good role models aren't always
available, and they may leave gaps in a child's intake of values. That is why childhood literature plays such and important part
in the socialization process. No parent should overlook the role literature plays in helping their child grow up strong, confident
and ready to navigate their way through life.
Some values that can be developed through childhood literature.
Cooperation is a great favorite with early childhood writers and publishers. It is one of he first stepping stones on a child's
path to successful socialization. When children learn to share it is an acknowledgement that someone besides themselves has
feelings and rights. This change from a self centered to a nexus view of the world is one of the first and most important social
milestones. Small simple books which parents can read to young children are great ways to introduce the vocabulary and ideas of
sharing to young children.
Generosity is an extension of the notion of sharing. Books that deal with generosity scenarios usually extend the simple idea of
sharing further and bring in more complex social situations. These are a great way to help kids get practice in empathy,
understanding and positive interaction. A generous spirit is a boon throughout life. What goes around, comes around, as we all
know.
Positive socialization is not something that kids will just naturally learn. The schoolyard can be a cruel and heartless place,
and many kids display behaviors that would be considered very unhealthy in adults. Making sure children understand and can model
positive social interactions is another area where literature stands out over personal interaction. Parents don't usually sit down
and model appropriate responses to schoolyard conflict situations for their children. Schoolyard conflict literature is a great
favorite with kids for just this reason. It helps them develop a roadmap for how they should manage their own interactions. High
quality children's literature develops a love of good quality interaction and helps prevent the development of anti-social
character traits.
Competitiveness. Not the kind of venomous, silly one upmanship you get in some sports teams. The kind of competitiveness that
makes a teen decide to go for that scholarship. That makes a young graduate decide to start their own firm. Or that drives a
manager to push for that next milestone. A feeling that if other people can do it, so can I, and I can do it just as well, or
better. Healthy competition is a recurring motif in childhood literature and that is a very good thing. A competitive spirit
drives people to try to do things better, quicker, and more efficiently, to achieve more, and to realize their goals. If you don't
think that's the sort of values you ought to be instilling in your child, you may be living in the wrong time because the 21st
century is all about personal initiative and achievement.
Persistence. A value lacking in so many people. However, if you look at society's winners, they all have one thing in common. The
ability to choose a task and stick to it. No one becomes successful without years of hard work. There is a reason why some people
become famous and successful while others can't even get up off the couch. Persistence in the face of difficulty is a value that
develops in childhood and serves a person through out their life.
The list of possible values that can be instilled through childhood reading is probably endless. But these are some common ones
that many parents value. Opinions do vary. Some people may say that it's not necessary to try to mold your child's value system
this way. They hold that society and everyday life do a good job of shaping a child's value system. That's fair. What those
parents want for their kids and how much effort they will put into those kids is entirely up to them.
It's a little like rolling a snowball down a hill. If you just let it go, it might make it to the bottom perfectly formed, round
and good. But that snowball might crash into a tree, or break up, or get covered in mud or any of a thousand other mishaps. That's
fine because who cares about a snowball, right? But you do care about your kids. Children are not set and forget. Build the right
values for your kids or reap the consequences later.
If you are like most parents, you may not even be sure what the right values are. Don't worry. Most children's books are published
by reputable and professional publishers and authors who do know. Check the literature you bring into the house for your kids.
Most of it will be positive, uplifting and jam packed with subtle value lessons that your kids will pick up on without even
realizing. Developing a great value system for your kids is easy: just do the right thing, provide good role models, and above all
provide plenty of kids' literature ( digital kids books and print books) to model
the values you miss.
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