Children can learn much through games. It is a fun way to teach children about life without them realizing they are learning while having fun.

Emotional Charades is a game of charades that depicts a wide array of emotions. Start by writing different emotions on pieces of paper cut the paper up and place them in a bowl. Have each person choose a piece of paper with an emotion, then they use their face and body to express that emotion.

This is a great game, because it helps everyone learn how to be more aware of feelings and how to better read people. If a child can look at someone’s body and face and know what they are feeling, that awareness will help them in life. Understanding people is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your child, so play Emotional Charades!

The following is a list of emotions to help you to begin thinking and writing. Choose the ones most appropriate to your child’s age:

Hector is a shy crab that likes to hide in his shell. But, one night while he was sleeping, a flower grew on his shell. To him this was a terrible thing, so he tries everything to get it off, but it just grows and grows making him stand out more and more in the crowd. He is so miserable that he finally talks to the crowd that is following him and tells them to leave him alone. Instead of leaving him alone they start talking to him and he discovers he likes them.

There are two points to discuss with your child while reading this book. 

 What seems like a disaster turned into a blessing.

What Hector thought was the most terrible thing to happen in his life actually turned out to be a blessing. He had spent a long time trying to get rid of the flower. But that flower was a tool that helped him  get out of his shell and make friends.

Think of an incident that happened to you,  which at the time you thought was terrible but turned out to be a blessing. Tell your child about it and what it taught you.

My Experience

My mom moved 560 miles away from my dad after they were divorced. I was only 10 years old and this devastated me. But I learned how to make my home were ever I was. I discovered a love for traveling. I learned how to manage my way through airports which helped me  become confident and I learned independence. I realized that I didn’t need to rely on my parents and could go months without seeing one or the other.

It’s hard to make friends unless you emerge from your shell.

If you stay in a shell and hide you will never be able to make friends. How can you meet someone if you are hiding? It is easier to hide but we are made to have relationships. We will never truly grow unless we make the effort to connect  with others.

Take your child out and have him/her practice connecting with others by talking to adults they don’t know while in your presence. Teach them to give a handshake and to introduce themselves. It will help them get over the fears they have when they approach  another child or someone they don’t know. Remember, “Practice makes perfect”.  

Enjoy your time with your child while they are young. And remember that a great way to “Inspire-Your-Kids” is to read with them.

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The I can Read Series is a wonderful way to do this. It has books geared to early readers with titles like Biscuit, to more advance readers with titles like, Frances Best Friends.

This summer as you are looking for something to do with your children, I want to challenge you to sit down with them and make a plan for their success.

What kind of goal would you like to accomplish this summer?

            Do you want to read a book 5 nights a week?

            Do you want to read one book every other day/night until your child can read that book all by him/herself?

            Do you want to read one or two books a week?

            Do you want to read before or after a meal?

 Make the goal something you both can live with but at the same time a little challenging. Then decide on the reward.

            Is it a date night with mom or dad?

            Is it a new toy?

            Is it a trip to grandma’s or grandpa’s?

            Is it given all at once or in increments?

 (If you make the reward along their interest you will be showing your support of them. Ex. A poster of their favorite baseball player, a baseball, a bat, a trip to a game.)

The length between the rewards depends on your child’s age. But one of the greatest gifts you can give your child is delayed satisfaction. Children who have mastered waiting for something are more successful in life than those who don’t. 

The next character trait you both get to work on is perseverance. It will be easy to give up or stop half way through the summer. Life happens something always come up that seems more important but is it really?

Now as with any goal, it is ok to look at it again and make adjustments. In two weeks, see if your goal to read is working if not make an adjustment and try again. That’s not failure you, are teaching your child, how to be flexible how and how to adjust to situations in life, yet still be able to accomplish their goals and ultimately their dreams. 

I will be posting blogs on several of the I Can Read books.  Best Friends for Frances, and Frog and Toad together are just two I have already picked out. These blogs will be a way for you to build up your child’s emotional intelligence as you read and discuss the books together. If there is a book you would like to see a blog on, leave me a comment telling me the title and author and I will see what we can do.

I was inspired to write this blog post because of a blogging program on Twitter Moms. But  I believe with all my heart that reading together with your child is one of the best things you can do for your relationship.

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Balloons= humans. You can discuss how we are the same and yet how we are different especially if you use different balloons.

Good attitudes can be forgiving, loving, helping, sharing, giving, peace, happiness, or  joy.

Bad attitudes are seen by fighting, selfishness, hatred, hitting, not sharing, anger, unforgiveness, or bitterness.

Sun/light= pressures of life that produces the smells that come out of our lives.

The things that are inside of us will come out. People will see and smell our attitudes. By teaching this to children at a young age they will learn that their actions do matter even when no one is looking. We can’t get around it.

“Character is not inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action.” - Helen Gahagan Douglas

Spend some time playing a board game with your child. During the game stand up and tell your child, “I quit. I don’t want to play anymore.” Or if you are losing, say, “I can’t win, so why should I bother?”

Your kids will probably protest. Go back and finish the game then ask them the following questions:

• How did you feel when I quit?
• How did my actions affect you?
• Do you think that your actions affect others?
• Why is it important to see something to the end?
• Why shouldn’t you give up just because you are losing?
• Have you ever given up because you were losing?

Children learn when something affects them personaly. By doing this activity your child will become aware that our actions do affect others. During the week look for ways to bring up an incident were your actions or your child’s actions affected another person.

Discouraged he walks off and meets a weasel who encourages him to try different sounds with his trumpet. Then he had him look inside to find his voice. Ellison closed his eyes and concentrated hard and the sound that came out was beautiful.

All the elephants came to see who made that wonderful music. Even the elephants that teased him before wanted Ellison to teach them how to make that beautiful music.

As you read this wonderful book, you can talk to your child about several different things:
1. It is ok to be different
2. Everyone needs to be encouraged
3. Look inside yourself to find your music
4. Forgive past hurts and help those who have teased you

(Please note- When I indent, I am answering questions and sharing insights just as if I was talking to a child.)

It is ok to be different
What did all the great elephants in history have in common?
They were different and that is what made them great.
What can you do that is different from others?
How did the other elephants treat Ellison because he was different?
He was teased and made fun of. Ellison had his feelings hurt. So he went to a place to be all alone. It was in that place he discovered his voice. He discovered what he was good at. Good things can come out of being alone.

Everyone needs to be encouraged
Ellison needed Weasel to help him find his gift. No one makes it to the top by him or herself. We all need people to help us.
Who is helping you?
Who are you helping?

Look inside yourself to find your music
Gloria and Mumble looked inside to find their heart song in Happy Feet. Everyone has something to give this world. We just have to look inside of ourselves to find out what it is.
What is your music?
What makes you special?

Forgive past hurts and help those who have teased you
We will all be hurt at some point in life. That is part of growing up. But what are you going to do with hose hurts? Are you going to let them weigh you down so you can’t share your music with others or are you going to forgive them and move on in life?
Who in your life has hurt you?
Have you forgiven them?
How can you forgive them?

It is ok to be different. That is how you become great. The music inside of you will compel you into greatness if you listen to it. You are doing something that no one else is doing. Reach out and help someone. You will be so glad you did. And offer forgiveness to those who hurt you even if they don’t accept it. You will be able to live in more peace.

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• Increased knowledge
• Larger vocabulary
• Insights into other lands, cultures, people
• Success in school
• More creativity
• Relaxation
• Mental escape

Are there mental and emotional benefits gained from reading? What about the long term benefits for your relationship with your children? These things are harder to measure but have a lasting impact.

Taking a child in your arms as you read reassures them of your love. Researchers have found orphans that are not held will die. Their emotional need was not met. That need never goes away. Holding or cuddling your child as you read to them meets that emotional need in both of you.

Psychologists that work with traumatized children give them dolls to play with to work out their emotions. If object can be a tool to release emotions, can objects be a tool to teach emotions?

A book is an object when used properly, can transform a child’s life. It is the same principle the psychologist have been using for years. You take an object that has no meaning and you use it to release good emotions.

Publishers who realize this, are starting to offer a study guide to go with their books. The Hidden Swan built a study guide into the book. The parent doesn’t have to do any extra research to see if there is a study guide. Plus The Hidden Swan offers insights any parent can use to teach their children values. And with the study guide as part of the book, you never lose or misplace it.

Next time you sit with your child and read your favorite book, let me know what lesson you would like your child to gain and I will help you come up with questions and insights. Reading is a powerful tool and can help us as parents building strong, healthy minds in our children.

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Wanting to impart great truths into children’s lives, we have taken books they know and love then developed questions and activities that will have an impact on their lives. Now with the help of the caring adults who ask the questions and do the activities with them, children can grow spiritually. Together we will impact the lives of children just like Jesus impacted the lives of His disciples.

The gift of wisdom and knowledge is the greatest gift an adult can give a child. It will not leave them when the adult is gone. It will not break, be misplaced or be lost. It might be ignored for a time. But if you claim Prov. 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Your child will return to the wisdom and knowledge you have placed in his/her life.

I am a single mother working two jobs. When would I have time to play with my kids.

In life we do what is important to us or what we think we should do. Is is more important to have a clean house or to have happy kids?

I chose to play with my kids. Sometimes the house didn’t get clean for weeks. Oh well. To me my children and my relationship with them were more important. I got over what I thought my house should look like.

I have been a single mother working two jobs for 14 years. Sometimes I had to drag myself up to play with them, but to me making sure my kids knew I loved them and wanted to be with them was what was important.

Everything we do has a consequence. Now, as teenagers, they make sure to spend time with me. Because I chose to make my children important when they were young, they have chosen to make me important. It is so worth it.

So go get a book, coloring crayons’, building blocks, football, games, or make up and play with your kids. You will be so glad you did. After you have had fun come back and tell me what you did and how it went.