Story Time with V & Me - The Detective Dog

So Parents what can we teach our little ones from this lovely story?

The first thing that jumps out to me is the moral value of stealing is wrong. I would use this story to help little ones understand that you can't take something that does not belong to you, even if you just plan on borrowing it. Explain how it makes the owner of the item sad when it has gone. Also, explain that they must always ask before taking or using someone else's things. Use Ted as an example and then role play with your children how to ask for something politely. Please make sure your little one understands that the owner of the desired item can say 'no' and that your child needs to accept that answer and walk away. This could be the hardest thing to learn out of the whole lesson, but persevere as it is important.

The next thing you could teach from the story is all about the library. The great thing here is that you can go on a little trip to the library and actually let your child experience it for themselves. You could even get a library card and encourage your child to take some books home. Teach them that the books need to be returned by a certain date so that other children can enjoy them too. Also, a great opportunity to teach the correct way to handle books carefully, respect books and look after them properly. This teaches a valuable life skill and is a great opportunity to instil a love of books into your little one from a very young age.

Don't forget that libraries provide a variety of other services too.

Then we could use Detective Dog Nell's sniff, sniff, sniff to teach the older children about the 5 senses starting with the sense of smell. Let the children smell some of the things Nell smelt, then blindfold them and see if they can identify them. Let them smell some herbs and spices and ask them questions about what they are smelling, eg do they like it, does it remind them of any meal they have eaten, etc. Use your descriptive vocabulary here as it's a great opportunity to expand their language skills. You could then add in the other senses and let them taste it, feel it, visually describe it and grind it between your fingers near their ears to hear it.

If you a messy little one you could even use the book to teach your children about tidying up after themselves. Nell's human, Peter, did not tidy up and Nell found his toys in all kinds of odd places. Use this to explain how much easier it is to find things when you put them away after you have finished playing with it. You could play a game of finding the most unusual place some of their toys have ended up. You could also use a timer and see how quickly they can put 5 things away. If there are siblings they could race against each other. Before long your house will be neat and tidy!

My final take away is this is an ideal opportunity for some story creations. If your child is still young, they create the story and you scribe it for them. If they are older and writing competently, they can write it themselves. Again, use this opportunity to teach that a story has a beginning, middle and end and then let their imagination loose. Don't comment or correct. This is their story and all you are doing is writing it for them, so use exactly the words they do. If they want they can even draw a picture to go with their story. Don't forget to date it as it makes a lovely keepsake. Your children will love to read it back when they are older too!

Hopefully these ideas will keep you all busy for a while. Just remember to enjoy the time together too.

Until next time...