D is for Disney: Library Notes

Post #100! How do I choose a book for my one hundredth post?  "Go Dog Go!" is a classic but so is "The Ugly Duckling". "Dragons Love Tacos" was a fun new one I wanted to read but then again "Down by the Bay" has a catchy song to accompany it...THEN I saw Disney has 100+ characters and they are a true success story so DISNEY is the way to go for this post.  


Tell me your favourite Disney stories. You can share the actual storyline of a book or movie or of a connection between it and your own life/world.   For example, when I was 16 my dad took us to Disney in Florida and I chose a Donald Duck necklace charm, not Mickey Mouse ears so it seems I liked Donald Duck. I still have him.  My friend in USA has a teenager with special needs who has her Disney crew of stuffed animals join her for her breakfast each day. For our twin boys' fourth birthday we gave Toy Story's Buzz Lightyears and they still argue about it because I gave the 'better' one to Twin A not Twin B. sigh. My three year old niece likes an app on the phone that gives her a Pinocchio nose which makes everyone laugh. 

Disney is iconic and as such is a great open door to get children to open up and build their skills.  To develop their oral motor skills they can roar like Simba, whistle like the Seven Dwarfs or sing like Ariel. Surely Disney songs randomly come from almost everyone's lips at one time or another!

You can further build oral skills by preparing food and eating it!  Tramp likes spaghetti. Winnie the Pooh likes honey. Timon and Pumbaa like grubs/bugs. Remy likes Ratatouille. Aladdin wanted a baguette. The Monsters wanted sushi. Beast wanted porridge and Mary Poppins thought candy apples were the way to go.  Would your child want to eat any of these? Do they have their own favourite? Can they take the time to try to make any of these recipes?  For a fussy eater, trying something that their favourite character likes may help them overcome their hesitation and venture to take a taste of something new.  I mean, why not let Disney work in your favour?

After a big meal you might want to work out. How will Disney inspire gross motor activities? Will the child swim like Nemo, fly like Peter Pan or dance like Cinderella? Can they build a snowman like Anna? Run like the wind like Pocahontas? Or can they stretch like Elastigirl (Incredibles).  Maybe they will just have fun dancing to a Disney CD of their most popular tunes!

You can settle down from all that activity with a good book.  Pick a favourite Disney book or try a brand new one which may actually be a very old one! Disney has a long history of creating stories for children to enjoy.  You can talk about so many things to compliment the reading of a book.  You can also venture out on other conversations such as character studies to illustrate specific characteristics that are important to you or your child.  For example, you can ask if they have Snow White's kindness, Belle's intelligence or Cinderella's forgiving nature? You can see if they respect nature like Pocahontas and face life with Bravery like Mulan.  There is quite possibly a book or character for every topic you want to cover with your child.

So for its all-encompassing, enduring qualities and for its popularity and entertaining skill, Disney is the choice for my 100th post.  May you likewise enjoy my posts for a long time to come and share your enjoyment of them with others you meet.  Hopefully over time I will also have a blog for most of the topics you want to have covered. May they help you build up the skills of the child(ren) in your life.

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