With the holiday season here there is much talk of giving and receiving. I wanted to focus on the lesson of giving to others and being thankful for what we have been given so
The Giving Tree came to mind. This classic book does cover the bases of giving to others and being selfless. I read it with my daughters (again) and we came up with a craft to go with the book that I'll share with you.
So what is it about this book that makes it stand up to the test of time?
I think it's that no matter the age you are when you read it it's going to pull at some part of your heart. The book has the wants, needs, and desires we all have as we grow in life. When we are children we are content with what we have around us, but as we grow we want more, friends, money, a house, love, to travel, and then we again become content to just have what we have around us and just be.
Maybe it's the lessons that can be taken from the book? Unlike most children's books where there's one strong lesson, The Giving Tree is unique in that you can find a different lesson in the story each time you read it. There's a lesson of all that trees give us (air, food, shelter) and we just take from them. There's a lesson to be grateful for what you have, as the boy grows he's not happy with what he has but thinks the next step will make him happy. Unconditional love is huge in the story, it's of giving all of yourself to someone else and receiving nothing back. As a parent you understand this. It grips your heart because you can relate so much to the tree just wanting the child to be happy.
Another thing that helps this book stand the test of time might be the simplicity of the illustrations and the spacing of the sentences. I'm a huge fan of bright illustrations that capture the attention of kids and adults, but the lack of color and background details in Shel Silverstein's drawings make the relationship between the boy and the tree the sole focus. There are no distractions. It is just the boy and the tree. The illustrations and text pop on the white page, and it's easy to read. The spacing of the text makes the story build as you turn the pages and pulls the reader in with each event. I find that the illustrations done the way they are allows the reader to use their imagination to picture themselves with a tree. We all probably have a tree we use to climb as a child, or sit under so having less details on where the tree is allows you to put that tree in your own setting.
I love the emotional depth in
The Giving Tree. The text only uses a couple emotional words but there's more that is implied. As you read ask your child how they think the tree feels. Ask them how they'd feel having been in need/want of something and someone giving them what they needed. Have conversations around these emotions. As I said earlier this is a wonderful book even for older children; read the book and have them write a journal response on how they felt, or how they would feel as the tree. Or to tell of a time they gave to someone knowing they were helping and would not get anything back.
As you are talking to younger children they might respond with just "happy" or "sad" you can expand their vocabulary and
empathy by giving them more
emotional words.
I think the tree might be curious at to where the boy has gone, and maybe a bit envious that he can travel the world while the tree can only stay in one place. I think the boy is greedy for only coming to the tree when he's in need of something.
After talking about the book, and reading it together a good activity that you can do with children of any age is to list things they are grateful for. This year for Thanksgiving we made a poster around this idea of a giving tree that the leaves say all the things that we could think of that others have given us, and at the bottom we made hand turkeys that said the things we were thankful for.
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| So thankful for the people who have come into our lives and for all we have been given sometimes it's small thing that make a big difference. A candy bar when you're feeling down. The pets we have either been given or adopted. A random stranger bought my daughter and I concert tickets to see who is now her favorite band. That's something she'll remember forever and an experience I couldn't have given her at that time. My family added us to their Netflix account and a friend gave me her audiobook account so we could watch shows and listen to books that otherwise we would have gone without. Words of love, support, and encouragement mean the world to us, knowing that you have someone who believes in you really does make a difference. |
You can make your own Giving Tree in your house or classroom where you add leaves to it each time you catch a student spreading kindness to another child (giving them a crayon, helping pick up toys, and so on) or add leaves for when you feel grateful for something you have. This is a great way to see how blessed you are, how you have been helped and how you help others.
Random Acts of Kindness can be linked to this book, with how you can help someone else, like the tree helping the boy. Think of ways you can help someone as a family or separately. This time of year money is always tight so it doesn't have to cost anything. Maybe you have a neighbor that you or your kids could shovel their walkway when it snows so they don't have to. Maybe there's family that just had a baby, you can make a double batch of your dinner and take them one over so they don't have to cook one night. Donate your used toys, books, and clothes. If you know of a family that is having a hard time and can use that warp it and leave it on their porch. Write a card or color a picture to send to someone, or visit and just spend time with those who might be alone. You don't have to have money to give joy to others, and I think we see that in
The Giving Tree, just a smile, a kind word, or helping hand can mean the world to someone.
I hope you all have a warm winter, and Happy Holidays!
If you didn't click the links or you want more info check out these websites:
Teaching empathy: Evidence-based tips for fostering empathy in children
22 Benefits of Trees
7 Crucial Reasons Why Gratitude Can Change Your Life
How to Appreciate What You Have and Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
103 Random Acts of Kindness – Ideas to Inspire Kindness
randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas
It's about time for me to find my 2019 Reading Challenge but as I was thinking about that I thought of all the great Children's books I've read this year and how it might be fun for some kids or even adults to have a reading challenge for children. I came up with a list of 11 categories that would be fun for parents and children of all ages to do. This is a great beginner's list that can be applied to preschoolers to go through with their parents or a tween could do if they enjoy lists and reading. I hope you can find some new favorite books with your kids with this challenge and most of all have fun reading!!
