Tummy Bear: I'm not afraid (Good Habits Song) (0-4 years old)

Author: Ge Bing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: This is a picture book designed to help cultivate good behavior habits in infants and young children. Developing good habits is an important aspect of early education. There is a saying: "Behavior determines habit, habit determines character, and character determines destiny." These words are worth reflecting on. Some primary school students never learned the habit of organizing their backpacks from a young age. When they started school, they discovered they had no sharpened pencils or notebooks, causing them to be in a hurry and disorganized, wasting time and affecting their studies. If they had been taught from childhood to put away toys after playing and return books to their places after reading, they would have grown up to be orderly in both their daily lives and work, which is one of the factors ensuring career success.
"Learning how to get along with others" is also an important lesson to learn from a young age. People cannot live without being part of a community. If children grow up without learning to be considerate of their parents or play nicely with their peers, they will always struggle to fit in as adults, making it difficult to cooperate with colleagues and achieve success in their work. Babies are too young to understand many reasons behind actions, such as why they should do something or why they shouldn’t. However, they have one characteristic: they love to imitate. They unconsciously learn from their parents and those around them. If we set a good example for them to follow, wouldn’t that be more effective?
"Dudu Bear" is the main character of the "Dudu Bear" special column in Infant Picture Book (edited and published by China Children's Press and Publishing, a biweekly). He first appeared to readers in January 1998 and, despite not being around for long, has had a huge impact on young readers. Dudu Bear is not only a good child but also has a lovable image, making him a favorite among kids. He holds great authority among young readers, and children all look up to him as a role model. As soon as they hear how Dudu Bear does something, they imitate him immediately.
How should we read this book to our children? First, before reading, let the child look at the pictures first. Ask them questions like: "Who is in the picture? What are they doing?" For example, in the "Urinating" series, the picture titled "Washing Hands" shows four animals: Dudu Bear, a puppy, a rabbit, and a kitten. What stands out is Dudu Bear and the puppy—Dudu Bear is washing his hands, while the puppy is drooling and reaching out with one "paw" to grab food from a plate. Let the child observe the picture on their own first. This not only prepares them for the story but also helps them develop the habit of observing and thinking independently.
Second, read the text on the picture to the child verbatim. Before reading, "prepare" by reading with emotion to engage the child and anticipate where they might need explanations.
Third, after reading the picture, make sure the child understands what they should learn from "Dudu Bear." As for the reasons behind these actions, parents should provide appropriate explanations based on the child’s age and understanding.
Fourth, if the child exhibits behavior problems mentioned in the picture—such as not washing hands before meals—address it specifically during the story, but avoid "bringing up the past" to criticize or blame the child.
Fifth, praise the child immediately when they show good behavior by imitating "Dudu Bear."
Sixth, good habits take time to develop, and there may be setbacks. Parents must be patient. Children don’t mind repetition when listening to stories, so parents can read the book to them multiple times.
Seventh, while this book primarily focuses on cultivating good behavior habits, parents can use it to provide multifaceted education. After telling the story of each picture a few times, encourage the child to retell it to develop their language skills. For example, after reading "Washing Hands," ask them to count the number of animals in the picture (four) to practice counting, or ask what color Dudu Bear’s clothes are (yellow, like the little duck) to teach them to distinguish colors. For older children, you can ask more advanced questions, such as observing and comparing the shapes of the ears of the bear, rabbit, puppy, and kitten.
Teaching children is an art. Reading to them is no different. We hope parents will make good use of this picture book to help their children gain even more from it.