Hello, and welcome back to the Book Nook! 2024 is here, and with it comes New Year’s Resolutions. Whether you talk specifically about resolutions with your child or not, you can use the fresh start feeling of January to help your child resolve to do or be a better version of the wonderful little person you are raising. So this month we’re going to talk about some books that demonstrate some things that children often need to improve on.

Resolutions for Kids – Cleaning Up

Llama Llama Mess Mess Mess by Anna Dewdney

This book is about a well-known scenario. Mama Llama says it’s cleaning day, but Llama Llama wants to play. Instead of yelling and fighting about it, Mama Llama decides to use a little reverse psychology. She pulls the sheets off the bed, takes clean clothes out of the dryer and throws them in the air, and leaves the kitchen a mess to go make a blanket fort instead. Of course, since this is a book, it works and Llama Llama soon decides to help his mama to clean the house.

I remember a similar scene from a Baby-Sitters Club book when I was a child, and it worked equally well for Stacey. I haven’t tried it so I can’t speak on its effectiveness, and it sounds like a lot more work so I don’t recommend trying it. (If you do, I’m eager to hear about how it goes!) However, it can be a great start to talking about the importance of cleaning up. Llama Llama learns that if the house is clean, there’s a lot of physical space to use in play. Point out to your child the facial expressions Llama Llama makes when watching Mama making a mess, and ask how Llama Llama feels about it. See if your child can predict Llama Llama’s change of heart.

Llama Llama Red Pajama was published in 2005, and it launched a phenomenon that now includes over two dozen books. The Llama Llama animated series premiered on Netflix in 2018.

Resolutions for Kids – Dental Hygiene

Sesame Street Ready, Set, Brush! A Pop-Up Book by Che Rudko

As a mom, I know that getting my kids to brush properly and regularly can be a struggle. This book aims to make it easier and more fun. This book is exactly what it looks like – a pop-up book that lets little kids help Sesame Street characters brush their teeth. They can pull a tab to help Abby brush, or move Cookie Monster’s arm up so he can drink a cup of water. There is text explaining why we do things like brushing our tongue that can aid in talking to kids about the process. I would suggest reading this before bringing your child into the bathroom. Then when you help your child brush their teeth, or verbally guide them in doing it themselves, you can refer back to the book as needed. “No, you’re not quite done. Remember when you helped Abby brush her tongue, because germs don’t just live on your teeth?”

Another suggestion I have is to look for a fun timing app or video. In the past I have used the Disney Magic Timer app by Oral-B, which helps make sure your child is brushing their teeth for the full two minutes recommended by the American Dental Association. I uninstalled the app because it started crashing a lot, but there are other fun timer apps you can use. Or you can look up videos online that are geared toward brushing time, or that are two minutes long regardless of subject. “Are you ready to start brushing your teeth? Great! Start now, and you can stop when the video is over.”

Resolutions for Kids – Staying Safe

Playground Safety by Emma Bassier

Safety is an important topic year-round, but if your child needs a reminder then the beginning of the year is a perfect time. This book is nonfiction, so there’s no storyline to follow, although there are photos of kids having fun at the playground. It’s very straightforward. “So-and-so is done on the monkey bars, so he looks down before letting go so that he doesn’t fall on someone” (not a direct quote). If you can’t find this exact book, I’m sure your local library or library system has something similar.

This particular title is part of a series that also includes books on Bus Safety, Fire Safety, Water Safety, First Aid Safety, and Bike Safety. I like that each book has its own focus, rather than having everything in one book but watered down. I would say even if you get all of the books, don’t rush through them all in one sitting. Your child needs time to process critical information, life-and-death in some cases, and it would be a waste to read the books without having time for discussion and/or practice before moving on to the next.

Resolutions for Kids – Healthy Eating

Alex Eats the Rainbow: A Book about Healthy Eating by Kerry Dinmont

Maybe I’m lucky to have kids who love eating fruits and vegetables. I’ve never had a problem with this, although I know a lot of other parents do. So a book like Alex Eats the Rainbow can be a great jumping off point for talking about healthy eating. It’s a well-known fact that different colored fruits and vegetables provide the body with different nutrients, which is why it’s recommended that a salad be colorful. This book goes through a boy’s meals one day and tells how he eats a rainbow color by color. He starts with red strawberries on his oatmeal for breakfast, and ends with purple beets with his dinner. There’s a rainbow at the end of the book made out of fruits and vegetables, but I do wish that there was more variety in each color, rather than, for example, a ton of tomatoes and a few other red foods. It’s a pretty visual, but you might want to find a different book or image if you want to make it educational.

After reading about Alex’s day, talk to your child about their own meals. Talk about fruits and vegetables your child likes to eat, and when they can add them to a meal. Then talk about other fruits and vegetables your child may not have tasted yet. Take your child to the grocery store when you are not in a rush, and point out all of the colors in the produce section. Help your child to choose their own rainbow of new foods they would like to try, and then you can buy them and let your child taste them. If you’re lucky you’ll open your child’s palate to a whole new world of food exploration! (…says the picky eater. Do as I say, not as I do, ha ha.)

Check out Miss Michelle’s Book Nook

Miss Michelle shares her book recommendations each month on the In Our Homeschool blog. Find links to all of her posts here.

Miss Michelle is the sister of Kristen, who writes this blog. She has a daughter who is 9 and a son who is 4. They are not home-schooled, but Miss Michelle is super supportive and proud of her sister for doing it. She has been a full-time Children’s Librarian for over 15 years and loves to recommend her favorite books. You can follow her on Goodreads, where she keeps track of books she has read for storytime, at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/170007385-miss-michelle.