Stories Give Children a Safe Place to Practice Life
Posted by BackPack Books on
There’s More to Reading Than Giggles
(Although Giggles Are Important)
Children’s books are often expected to do one of two things: make children laugh or teach them something.
But some of my favourite books growing up did something quieter.
They let me experience things I hadn’t lived yet.
I still remember reading stories where characters had to make difficult choices, disappoint someone, try something embarrassing, be brave, be wrong, forgive someone, or simply see the world differently. Not because someone stopped the story to explain the lesson.
The story itself did the work.
Children understand more than we sometimes give them credit for. They know what it feels like to want one thing and receive another, to worry about looking silly, to hesitate before sharing, or to want to be kind but not feel ready.
Stories give children a safe place to try those moments on.
Not because they need fixing.
Not because every book should teach a lesson.
But because stories let us borrow experiences.
In Jane’s Jeans, a little girl receives a handmade dress from someone who loves her very much.
She doesn’t want to wear it.
That isn’t bad behaviour.
That’s being human.
Stories create space to wonder:
What matters more right now?
How might someone else feel?
What happens if we try?
In The Red Sweater, a little boy receives a birthday gift that isn’t what he hoped for.
The sweater is too large and his mother even offers to replace it. Even so, giving it away later doesn’t feel simple. After all, it was given to him.
That reaction makes sense too.
Objects carry stories.
Children know that.
The interesting part isn’t whether the character behaves perfectly.
The interesting part is watching what happens next.
Children’s books don’t have to be serious.
Giggles matter.
Mysteries matter.
Talking beetles and sleepy ants matter.
But sometimes stories quietly offer something else:
A chance to practice life while sitting safely on the couch.
And for a child, that can be a pretty wonderful thing.
Janice Garden Macdonald