Many of us are at home with some extra time on our hands while schools and child care centers are shut down. Staying at home can be challenging, but it also provides an opportunity to take some extra time for yourself, enjoying new hobbies and new books. In this article, we are sharing books designed to help you continue to grow in your teaching practice so that you can return to work feeling refreshed with new ideas to bring into your classroom or program.
This book is a fascinating read for any educators or child care professionals who are interested in ACES or childhood trauma. Written by pediatrician and California’s surgeon general, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris uses storytelling to dive into fascinating, moving, and compelling research.
In his book, Jamil Zaki uses a combination of compelling research and touching stories to demonstrate how empathy can be built and strengthened. This book is a wonderful read for educators who are seeking to support little ones in their social emotional development, and includes skill-building through friendships, kindness, and empathy.
Do you have little ones in your classroom who are quiet or shy, and wonder how to cultivate their strengths? Maybe you consider yourself an introvert and you’re looking for resources to better understand yourself and your strengths in the workplace. This book is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in learning about differences in personalities, especially between introverts and extroverts. The book will walk you through some of the hidden strengths that lie in this personality type.
In “Mind in the Making,” Ellen Galinsky has grouped early childhood research into seven critical life skills and explains the benefits of helping young children adopt these skills during early childhood: (1) focus and self control; (2) perspective taking; (3) communicating; (4) making connections; (5) critical thinking; (6) taking on challenges; and (7) self-directed, engaged learning. Galinsky shares research and advice to help children strengthen these important skills.
In The Gardener and the Carpenter, developmental psychologist and philosopher Alison Gopnik looks at relationships between kids and parents. Drawing on research, she shows that caring adult relationships are vital for children’s learning and well-being. She encourages readers to remember that children are designed to be messy and unpredictable, playful, and imaginative.
Check out the links below to find some of the books that Good2Know has shared in the past, for other reads you might enjoy.
The Emotional Life of the Toddler: insight into development, temperament, and challenging behaviors during toddlerhood
The Elephant in the Playroom: a book on inclusion, short essays written by parents of children with special needs
No Bad Kids: delves into topics such as tantrums, testing boundaries, and punishment to explore how we can respond to children with patience and understanding
Tinkerlab Book Review 
Book Review: From Parents to Partners
An Important Television Program about Childcare