Wearing glasses can be a big step, and it may be tricky to help your child get into the routine of wearing them. It’s important to be positive and encouraging, and where possible to make it a fun experience. My daughter’s favourite colour is pink, and she chose pink frames. And a friend gave her a lovely glasses case covered in pictures of cats because my daughter loves cats.
Glasses shouldn’t be a burden, instead, your child should be excited about seeing the world around them in a new way. If your child does need glasses, celebrate your child’s new ability to see clearly. It can be very helpful for young children who need to wear glasses to see themselves reflected in stories. Here are some picture books that may help.
BOOKS
Douglas, You Need Glasses!
Written and illustrated by Ged Adamson
The author of this book had a similar experience to my daughter. But while my daughter couldn’t see a dog, Ged couldn’t see numerous rabbits on a hillside while on a trip with his dad. And it is noteworthy that Ged did not tell his dad that he could not see one single rabbit!
The main character in the story is a nearsighted dog called Douglas. And Douglas’s poor eyesight often gets in the way of things. Douglas shows us what it is like to need glasses and what it feels like to be able to see clearly. The minimal text is enhanced by wonderfully colourful, vibrant and engaging illustrations. This is a humorous and positive story about wearing glasses. And the end pages feature photos of real kids who wear glasses. And they all look fabulous!
Ava’s Spectacular Spectacles
Written by Peter Whitfield and illustrated by Angela Perrini
Like many children, Ava hates wearing her new glasses. Fortunately, Ava’s teacher, Mrs Cook, has a large book full of fairy tales and nursery rhymes where all the characters are wearing glasses. These characters depict why wearing glasses can be very helpful. I liked the spread showing Chicken Little wearing his glasses. Thus, he could see that it wasn’t the sky falling on his head, only an acorn! Will Ava see that her spectacles are spectacular after all? The child-like illustrations add to the appeal of this picture book.
Benjamin and the Super Spectacles
Written and illustrated by Rachel Bright
Benjamin Bounce is a bunny who loves to bounce. The problem is, he keeps bouncing into things. Benjamin needs glasses. But he doesn’t want to be the only one in Woollybottom to wear them and he doesn’t want them to stop him from bouncing – which is his favourite thing to do. In this fun and entertaining story, Benjamin’s friends show him that “glasses rock!” and it’s good to see the world anew. The vibrantly colourful, playful and bold illustrations will appeal to young children.
SONGS
I’ve Got My Glasses On
This wonderfully upbeat and positive song by the ever-popular Wiggles is all about wearing your glasses so that you can see clearly!
Emma’s Glasses Story
In this song, Emma is having trouble reading her book. Everything is blurry everywhere she looks. Dr Spectacles teaches Emma to keep her glasses clean.
A Crafty Idea
Image: picklebums
- A4 cardstock
- Crazy glasses template
- Markers or pencils
- Scissors
- Tape
- Items for decorating, such as stickers, sequins, buttons, pom poms, etc.
- Glue
- Print the glasses template onto some cardstock.
- Choose which style of glasses you are going to make.
- Cut them out, including a set of arms.
- Fold the tabs on the sides of the glasses and tape the arms onto them.
- Now your crazy glasses are ready to decorate.
- Use markers or pencils to colour the frames first.
- Use collage materials, such as stickers, sequins, buttons, pom poms and feathers, to add that something extra!
- Now you are ready to take some selfies to show off your fabulous crazy glasses.
