We all want to be teaching our kids character traits like patience, consideration, and trustworthiness. But sometimes helping kids understand what those words really mean can be a challenge. Learning a meaning in context helps kids grasp the abstract. This book can help.

I first found this little gem at the library. Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal condenses 22 character traits (17 positive and 5 negative) into one simple cookie-related sentence each. For example, Patience is a child waiting for her cookies. Modesty is a child being not bragging about how good her cookies are. The sweet illustrations of children and their anthropomorphic animal friends enhance the text and bring home Rosenthal’s points.

Take it a step further with your kids by baking your own cookies (real or play-dough) and acting out the book. Or create a permanent play set with felt or construction paper that they can pull out again and again. You could even get a cute cookie play set like the one below from Melissa & Doug to go with the book.

This book can help any child better understand and practice the character qualities we desire in their lives. I’d recommend it for ages 3 – 8. You and your kids will eat this book up!

I’d also recommend her followup book Sugar Cookies: Sweet Little Lessons on Love.

Do you have any favorite books for teaching character to young kids?

Carolyn Leiloglou

Carolyn Leiloglou is the award-winning author of the middle grade fantasy trilogy The Restorationists. She is the granddaughter of art collectors, daughter of an art teacher, and homeschooling mom to four wildly creative kids, two now graduated. She’s been reviewing her favorite children’s books on House full of Bookworms for over a decade. Carolyn and her husband Demetrios make their home in San Antonio, Texas, and you can find her everywhere online as House full of Bookworms.

www.carolynleiloglou.com