Watermelon Rind: Good Habits Nursery Rhyme (0-4 years)

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 shapes habits, habits shape character, and character shapes 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, leaving them in a rush and disorganized, wasting time and affecting their studies. If they had been taught from a young age to put away toys after playing and return books to their places after reading, they would have grown up to be orderly and efficient in both life and work, which is one of the factors ensuring career success. "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 are not taught to be considerate of their parents or to play nicely with their peers from a young age, they may grow up to be out of sync with others, making it difficult to cooperate with colleagues and achieve success in their work. Infants 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 protagonist of the "Dudu Bear" column in "Infant Picture Book" (edited and published by China Children's Press and Publishing, a ten-day periodical). He first appeared to readers in January 1998 and, though he has been around for a short time, has already made 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 children. Among young readers, he has great authority, and children all look up to him as a role model. As soon as they hear how "Dudu Bear" does something, they imitate it immediately. So, how should we read this book to our children? First, before reading, let the child look at the pictures. Ask them questions like: "Who is in the picture? What are they doing?" For example, in the "Urinating" series, the picture titled "Washing Hands" features four animals: Dudu Bear, a puppy, a rabbit, and a kitten. Notably, Dudu Bear and the puppy are the focus. 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 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 exactly as it is written. Before reading, "prepare" by reading with emotion to engage the child and anticipate any parts they might not understand, offering explanations as needed. Third, after discussing the picture, make sure the child understands what they should learn from "Dudu Bear." As for the reasons behind these actions, you can provide appropriate explanations based on the child’s age and understanding. Fourth, if the child exhibits behaviors similar to those in the picture (e.g., not washing hands before meals), address the issue specifically during the story but avoid bringing up past mistakes or blaming 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 you can read the book to them multiple times. Seventh, while this book primarily focuses on developing good behavior habits, parents can use their creativity to help children learn in many other ways. After telling the story of each picture a few times, encourage the child to retell it to practice language skills. For example, after reading "Washing Hands," ask the child to count the number of animals in the picture (four) to help them learn counting. Ask them, "What color is Dudu Bear’s clothes?" (Yellow, just like the little duck’s) to teach them to distinguish colors. For older children, you can ask more in-depth questions, such as observing and comparing the shapes of the ears of the bear, rabbit, puppy, and kitten. Educating children is an art, and teaching them to read is no different. We hope parents will make good use of this picture book to help their children gain even more from it.