Building Self Esteem through Reading

One of the greatest opportunities to discuss life and social issues has been created by reading with my children. A year ago my daughter and I joined a mother-daughter book group geared toward 11 and 12 year old girls; we just completed our first full year. Utilizing the book ‘100 Books for Girls to Grow On’ by Shireen Dodson has made a group of this type simple to create. The experience has been invaluable, the selections offered in ‘100 Books for Girls to Grow On’ often center around social issues and more times than not make for a lively discussion both at home, and in the group. Each suggested book is accompanied with a synopsis of the story followed by book club questions. The way our group is structured each participating member (of which there are 12) hosts once a year, and during that time the host-daughter acts as the facilitator. The girls experience leadership, listening, speaking, and hosting skills all of which contribute to building confidence and self-esteem. The time together is irreplaceable and each of us has had the privilege of gaining beads of wisdom from each other and all of our friends.