I’ve been working with Kinship Caregivers for more than ten years through parenting programs like Parenting the Second Time Around (PASTA), and now in collaboration with Hope for Youth’s Kinship Caregiver Program. My task is to provide services such as facilitating Support Groups for grandparents and other kinship caregivers, present PASTA classes, and coordinate monthly family engagement activities. We also have children’s support groups for the children in their custody. We begin each support group for the children with a storybook and carefully choose topics that inspire the children to talk about their situations in a safe and secure environment. We don’t provide therapy; however, sharing these books does provide comfort and support for children who are experiencing these difficult issues first-hand. Research has shown that such books help children by showing them that they aren’t the only ones going through a certain situation. When children find a book that features a character whose situation they identify with, there is a release which enables them to take control and find a solution to their own problem. Books on sensitive topics are also useful for children who aren’t (yet) coping with difficult situations. On an individual level, researcher Lewison asserts that reading such literature promotes understanding and empathy with others, as children “make personal connections to characters that are different from themselves and events that are different from those in their lives.” Stories can humanize abstract issues and encourage children to think (and talk!) about how they might feel and what they might do in a particular situation. Books about sensitive issues can be used in the library, classroom, or home to promote discussion and complex thinking among children as they examine problems and explore possible solutions. Lewison cites other studies on this important function of “sensitive” children’s literature: “If we do not provide our students with a variety of literature-however controversial-and teach them to read it and discuss it critically, we cannot hope that they will ever develop into sensitive, thoughtful, and reasonable adults.
You can start reading such books with your children at an early age. Below you can find a wonderful resource written by Jennifer Birckmayer titled, “Ten Things All Children Need”. The books included help you communicate with children about issues that may be difficult to address directly in conversation (death, sexuality, separation etc.). They are attractive and in an easy-to-read form. I have also included a list of books for 6-8th graders that will get these adolescents reading and talking about the issues that are relevant in their lives.
For more information, check out these links:
Addressing Sensitive Issues through Picture Books by Dorothy N. Bowen, Eastern Kentucky University, dorothy.bowen@eku.edu
https://encompass.eku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=ci_fsresearch
Ten Things All Children Need by Jennifer Birckmeyer
https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.cce.cornell.edu/attachments/3644/Ten_Things.pdf?1414173679
Tough Topics: Inspiring Conversations in Difficult Times (for grades 6-8)
All Blogs are written by Professionals in the fields of Nutrition, Human Development and Diabetes.