Children learning to join in
Written to the child, not about them — so they can follow it themselves.
Cohelm Books · Friendship Series · Book 1
How Do I Join In?
A small question can be a beginning. Follow one child as he watches two others building a toy zoo, asks one question about it, and discovers more than one way to join in.
₱299 Digital edition · PDF, 22 pages
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₱399 Printed copy
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About the book
Joining in does not need a perfect opening line.
Ben and Mia are building a zoo out of blocks. Another child wants to join them and is not sure how to start.
He watches for a few seconds. He asks one small question. What he hears back tells him what to say next — and he finds there is more than one good way to connect, including simply building alongside them.
Why it helps
When a child wants to join in but freezes at the first step
Plenty of children want to be part of what the others are doing and stall right at the start — not because they are unfriendly, but because they do not know what to say, and the moment passes while they are still deciding.
“Just go and play with them” is not a plan. This book gives a child five small steps, in order, that they can practise before they need them.
It also takes seriously the part most books skip: what a “not right now” actually means, what to do with the feeling that follows, and that wanting time alone is fine too — for them and for everyone else.
Who it is for
Who this book is for
Parents and carers
Something to read together, with a plan you can both point back to afterwards.
Children who take a “no” hard
Covers what a “not right now” can mean, and what to do next.
The Joining Plan
Five steps your child will practise
Look
Watch for a few seconds first. What are they actually doing?
Ask
Ask one small question about what they are doing.
Listen
Their answer tells you what to say or do next.
Connect
Say or do something that fits — or just build alongside them.
Notice
See what happens next, and what to do if the answer is not yet.
The book ends with a page for a child to write or draw their own answers.
Inside the book
A look at some pages
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Step One: Look -
Step Two: Ask -
Step Three: Listen -
Step Four: Connect -
The five Joining Steps together -
A page to write or draw on
Read it together tonight
A 22-page PDF, licensed for personal and household use — you may print copies for your own home.