The Power To Choose Books
/As kids get older, they begin to do things they’ve never had to do before - like pick out weather-appropriate clothing, stay in their big-kid beds until they fall asleep, and choose to tell the truth. These are big milestones for kids to reach because they contribute to independence and foster decision making skills. Making the right choice is indeed a CHOICE and kids have to navigate that world step by step, decision by decision.
Making the right choice is something adults can do easily; we understand cause and effect and accept that decisions have consequences. Kids learn these things by making their own choices, discussing options with caregivers, and working through consequences as necessary.
My mother-in-law recently purchased What Should Danny Do? and What Should Danny Do? School Day to help our kids understand choices and decision making. They are from the Power To Choose series.
These books remind me of the Choose Your Own Adventure series I read when I was a kid. In that series, by making choices throughout the book, the reader decides the fate of the characters (I’m looking forward to when my rascals are old enough to read those books too!).
Each of the Danny books begins by setting the scene: Danny is starting his day and has to make his first choice. The reader selects between two options (one is inherently less desirable) and turns to the corresponding page. The plot continues and presents the reader with another two choices. On and on it goes until the end of Danny’s day.
As parent and child read the story together, conversations about each choice and the corresponding effects occur naturally. Similar to the real world, selecting a less desirable choice does not ruin the whole day; Danny has many chances to turn his day around and end on a positive note.
These books extend beyond story time. You’ll often hear me saying to my kids when faced with a difficult choice: “You have a choice to make here. What would Danny do?” When they get in a rut or are having a fussy moment, I will say: “You can turn this around. What would Danny do?”
This isn’t fool-proof parenting, but it does provide opportunities to have low-stakes conversations about choices, how to weigh options, and natural consequences.
Written by Brandi Stanton, mom to 2 rascals ages 3 and 5.
Shop This Post
