Raising children in a digital age
Dr Bex Lewis, Lion Hudson
Whether you consider yourself a technophobe or a digital whizzkid, you are guaranteed to learn a lot from this book. Raising children in a digital age provides detailed explanations of all the current online trends in understandable and concise language. Dr Bex Lewis’ research is incredibly thorough, making the book a solid tool for anyone trying to make sense of how to limit, structure and guide young people’s time on the internet, smartphones, tablets and consoles.
It’s refreshing to hear a variety of opinions in the book from parents who have tried different methods of time limitations, reward systems and rules, which have worked and failed. As a parent, I know that you could easily find yourself never wanting to let your children go anywhere near the internet because of all the horror stories you hear. Those stories are put into context and supported with statistics, making them seem smaller issues than we were led to believe. This book is a go-to guide for all of our digital worries.
Lloyd Kinsley is the art director of Premier Childrenswork
Try praying for kids
Try Praying
This is a resource for seven to eleven year-olds, clearly aimed at children outside of the Church. It is formatted like a small magazine, with cartoon-ish pictures and graphics in a dynamic layout. The whole thing looks very professional and inviting – distinctly lacking in the patronising quirks that seem to plague some similar products.
The idea is that the resource works in a similar way to many of the devotional materials available for this age group. Each day has a light-hearted story, some thought-provoking questions, a puzzle, some explanation, a prayer and an action. A different, relevant aspect of prayer is addressed on each of the seven days.
While I like the resource and can think of a few children who might benefit from it, this is for a very specifically targeted clientele. The level of knowledge and interest that is assumed of the child seems to make it relevant for quite a niche group at a very specific point, near the start of a young faith journey. Careful distribution is the key for this resource.
Jon Piper is a children’s leader in Petersfield
My first read-aloud Bible
Mary Barchelor & Penny Boshoff, Make Believe Ideas
My first read-aloud Bible stands out from other children’s Bibles I have seen. It is well produced and includes a wide range of stories designed for early readers to read aloud or to be read to by an adult or older child. It would work well as a follow-up to a first Bible. The text is simple, clear and child-friendly. The stories are well written, enabling children to engage easily with them. There are brief opportunities for reflection and relating the stories to the child’s own life during some of the pages. The attractive illustrations are bright and colourful, ideal for children aged four to eight, and appealing to girls and boys alike. It contains 122 Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments, introducing young children to all of the Bible’s main characters. At £7.99, it’s excellent value for money, and a book I would be proud to have on my daughter’s bookshelf as well as give as a great gift.
Sarah Holmes has over 15 years’ experience working with children and families in a variety of settings, and is mum to three preschool children
