Good Habits Nursery Rhyme Seesaw

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 pondering. 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 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.
"Learning how to interact 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 we achieve better results?
"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 biweekly magazine). He first appeared to readers in January 1998 and, despite having a short time on the scene, 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 enjoys high authority, and children eagerly look up to him as a role model. As soon as they hear how Dudu Bear does something, they imitate it immediately.
How should we read this book to 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 book "Potty Training," the picture titled "Washing Hands" features 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 actively observing and thinking for themselves.
Second, read the text on the picture to the child exactly as it is. 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 reading the picture, make sure the child understands what they should learn from "Dudu Bear." As for the reasons behind these actions, only 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 reading but avoid bringing up past mistakes or blaming the child.
Fifth, praise the child immediately when they display positive behavior modeled after "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 their creativity to help children gain broader education from it. 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) to teach them color recognition. 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.
Teaching children is an art. Reading to children is no different. We hope parents will make good use of this picture book to help their children achieve even greater success with your guidance.