Best books for preschoolers
Your child is now much more independent (or so he thinks!) and in possession of a strong imagination. He also knows that life can be both happy and sad and that the world both friendly and unfriendly so books that confront and solve problems happily are just what he needs. Look for books which have:
- longer and longer stories which are more demanding
- stories about friends as they are now an important part of a preschooler’s existence
- themes on family relationships especially between siblings
- stories about daily activities, for example, My Playgroup or Going Shopping
- “special situation” themes such as going to the hospital, the dentist or the doctor. These will help children deal with these situations in real life.
- lots of facts. Preschoolers are interested in what things are and how they work so anything to do with animals, trains, planes, birds, etc will go down very well.
- folk and fairy tales but keep them simple and not too gruesome. Children of this age need to understand that there is both good and evil in the world but that good triumphs in the end.
- nonsense verse and play on words. Children love silly words and crazy situations.
You do not have to go out and buy a whole pile of books use your local library and experiment.
See which books go down well and do not flood your child with too many choices, otherwise he will be overwhelmed. You will probably find that your child will ask for his favourite story again and again and again…
