As you know, I’m a big fan of using books in therapy. This week I thought I would bring you a series of books. Nicholas Oldland’s books are great for building vocabulary and working on social language goals. They are also great for working on story grammar and comprehension goals. They are well written and the kids enjoy listening to them. They are great for children from grade one through grade three.
1. Big Bear Hug This is story about a bear who loved to hug, especially trees. He spots a logger has to figure out what to do when the logger starts to chop down a tree. This is great for problem solving, talking about feelings and the story talks about different types of trees which is great for building vocabulary. 
2. Making the Moose out of Life This is a story about a moose who always has an excuse about why he couldn’t join his friends fun. Then he goes on an unplanned grand adventure. This shows that trying new things can be scary but life will be so much better when you try. It again is good for working on building vocabulary. It contains a variety of verbs, adjectives and words describing weather.
3. The Busy Beaver This is a story about a beaver who is unaware of his surroundings and is careless. He gets into an accident and realizes he needs to change his ways. This is a great story to talk about why the beaver was not a good friend in the beginning and how to apologize to friends. It is also great for talking about why you need to be aware of what is going on around.
4. Walk on the Wild Side In this story, the beaver, moose and bear let their competitive nature get them into trouble. This is another good story to talk about solving problems (e.g. “what would you do?”) I also like it because it talks about the different strengths of the animals. A great extension activity is to have the group talk about their strengths.
5. Up the Creek This is a story about the beaver, moose and bear going on a canoe trip and all the trouble that ensues. This is a great story to talk about team work and negotiating with friends and solving problems. This story also uses lots of boating vocabulary such stern and portage.
If you are looking for some different books to bring into your social groups, these might be just the ticket.
One Comment