It's Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel
Childhood Milestones Series
What’s inside...
Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell, the #1 New York Times bestselling team behind Today I Feel Silly and I'm Gonna Like Me, return with It’s Hard to Be Five, a story about the challenges of self-control and doing your best every day when you are five years old. The book humorously addresses the difficulties of not hitting, waiting for your turn, and sitting still through engaging text and playful illustrations. Children will easily relate as they recognize themselves and their peers in the narrative.
Series reading
Non-Sequential
Age
5-6
Length
40 pages
Text complexity
Discussion points
What are some things you find hard to do now that you are five?
How do you feel when you can't do something easily?
Can you think of a time when you felt proud of something you learned to do all by yourself?
Why do you think it's important to keep trying even when something is difficult?
Tip: Role play these questions
While discussing these questions, maintain eye contact and show genuine interest in your child's responses to foster an open and supportive conversation.
Use examples from your own life when you faced challenges and how you overcame them, to make the conversation relatable and encouraging.
Praise your child for their efforts in mastering new skills and reinforce the importance of patience and practice.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Self-control
Explanation: The book navigates the challenges of being five years old and the importance of self-control through various scenarios where the child protagonist manages impulses.
Real-World Application: Children can apply this lesson by using counting or deep-breathing techniques to manage their reactions in challenging situations like waiting their turn or sharing toys.
Example Lesson: Patience
Explanation: The protagonist learns the value of patience while dealing with daily frustrations that are typical for children, offering relatable examples.
Real-World Application: This lesson is valuable when children are faced with situations that require waiting, such as standing in line at school or waiting for a turn on the playground.
Example Lesson: Problem-solving
Explanation: The book illustrates how the young character encounters problems and learns to navigate them thoughtfully, fostering an early foundation of problem-solving skills.
Real-World Application: Children can use problem-solving skills learned from the narrative to address conflicts with peers or to overcome obstacles in learning new skills like tying shoes or completing puzzles.
Example Lesson: Emotional expression
Explanation: The story encourages children to express their emotions in a healthy way, showing the protagonist identifying and talking about their feelings.
Real-World Application: Kids can mimic this behavior by using words to describe their emotions to parents or teachers when they feel happy, sad, or angry, rather than throwing tantrums.
Example Lesson: Empathy
Explanation: Through interactions with other characters, the main character in the book learns to understand and share the feelings of others, facilitating a sense of empathy.
Real-World Application: This encourages children to consider their friends’ feelings before acting, which is crucial in developing social skills and building positive relationships with others.