Member Reviews
Super cute and I've saved this for my little one but it is definitely for an older elementary school kid because there is no way a 5-6 year old would be able to sit still to read this with me.
This book will be a great resource for parents and teacher to help children build up life skills that vary from critical thinking, empathy, communication, coping strategies, emotions, mindfulness and so much more. This is very much a learning resource to help educate growing children, but I would recommend it be read with an adult due to the wordiness, (sometimes it over-explains and has jarring layout,) and also so they can discuss the different activities/strategies provided in the text. I think this will be of particular importance to anyone looking for assistance in teaching a child with Asperger's, as they might need extra guidance in fully understanding these concepts.
Thank you, NetGalley and DK children, for the ARC of this book.
We read this book in our homeschool, and both my ten-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter loved it.
We loved the illustrations of this book. The activities included are fun and highly engaging. This book teaches children many life skills not usually found in other books.
This book can be used at home or in a classroom to teach essential life skills in a fun and effective way.
I read this with both my elementary age kids. My children loved it as much as I did.
This is a great book for parents and teachers. The book is engaging and thought provoking. Truly does teach skills not taught in public schools.
I will be adding it to our local library plus my home library.
Very useful book. Fun activities that can be done with family to figure out your personality. Asking for help and recognising the need is such an important life skill. We are going to do some of these activities. Towards the end, I love the self care section of exercising well and spending time with loved ones. Will serve as a good reminder for anyone who already knows these too. Never too early to learn life skills. Well done, pictorially for the little friends.
As someone who works in the mental health field, I appreciated Life Skills by Keilly Swift and intend to purchase this book and use in my practice. I liked Swift's theme of 'setting off on your life's adventures' and the book being designed 'to help you navigate your journey' as well as the way she grouped and labeled finding solutions, ways of thinking, communicating, understanding feelings, and coping skills. The design and illustrations were appealing as well. #LifeSkills #NetGalley
Life Skills by Keilly Swift
As a therapist specializing in working with kids who have experienced trauma and kids involved in the foster care system, I am always on the look out for books to use in group therapy and to aid in life skill development. Many adolescents who have experienced childhood trauma have not had the supportive guidance or autonomy to naturally develop basic life skills. Their focus was needed on surviving their circumstances. I've been frustrated by the life skill development genre as a whole because the books often made the assumption that a foundation had already been established and, therefore, was too accelerated for the needs of my clients.
I admit that I opened Life Skills by Keilly Swift with the same cynical expectation. How wrong I was! Swift has beautifully pulled together a collection of developmental activities and topics that are ideal for those just beginning to explore their independence, autonomy, and locus of control. The illustrations are engaging and the pop culture references are sure to catch the attention of the reader. I took notes with each page and pictures all of my past clients that I wish had this resource.
I particularly appreciate Swift's weaving of cognitive coping strategies with functional life skills. Her acknowledgement that social-emotional development is a vital life skill is one that is often left out of books of this type. In my opinion, Swift has separated herself from the pack and I hope to see additional books from her in the future.
This book was received as an ARC from DK Children in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book should be in every library, classroom, organization and institutions. These are the skills that are not taught in schools and that are necessary to be successful in life. This book could not have been released at the best time since the outbreak of COVID-19 and with some schools still virtual this would be just the book to have at home and learn some valuable life skills. I loved the illustrations and color schemes used throughout the book which made in my opinion easier to understand not only what the skill is but, why it is important to learn. I know our young readers and families will find this book very useful and beneficial.
We will consider adding this title to our JNon-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
This book is colorful and inviting to readers! It has valuable information that is presented in a kid-friendly way. As a mom and teacher I appreciate the content and presentation of the information! I think this will be a great resource for kids and families!
The content of this book is really cool. It covered many more topics than I expected, being a children's book. I think maybe that genre/age group confused me as to what the book would cover and look like. It seems a lot more for older students than "children." Even the illustrations are slightly more juvenile than I would expect for the content.
But wow, this content is exactly what every educator needs. This book should be in schools. It should be part of the curriculum for students in middle school and high school both. It gives creative solutions to problems. It teaches critical thinking in a simplistic way. It makes problem solving simple and easy to do. And it communicates these thoughts in such a creative way. The book includes games to play--that would be great in a classroom setting. I love the way it explains communication....both verbal and nonverbal communication! It even uses history to explain communication better (i.e. the NIxon vs. Kennedy election). Genius.
I seriously can't wait to start school back and begin going through this book with my students.