Finding good quality divorce books can seem like looking for a needle in a haystack, including helpful and informative books on divorce for children and teens, while parents primarily deal with the divorce process and their own emotions over the breakup of the family.
Getting a divorce is not only a difficult process to go through, but it’s also a highly emotional time for anyone who has ever been through a divorce or been affected by divorce, especially the children. Parents who feel that divorce is their only alternative need to think less about how to get a divorce and more thought and planning to providing their children the love and support they need before, during and after the separation and divorce.
Divorce books for children play an important role in helping kids deal with the stress, anxiety, fear, emotional pain and turmoil so common amongst children of divorce. If possible, have divorce children’s books ready and available before telling children about your divorce, but if your kids already know about your plans to get a divorce, be quick about getting your children the best divorce books available for children, as well as divorce books for teens
, as opposed to focusing on getting a quick divorce.
Children’s Divorce Books
Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way, by M. Gary Neuman – Kids tend to blame themselves when parents divorce. The Sandcastles workshop–now mandatory in over a dozen counties throughout the United States–is a half-day group session for children of divorce between the ages of 6 and 17. Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce details many of the workshop exercises, all designed to increase communication, understanding, and togetherness between parents and kids.
It’s Not Your Fault, Koko Bear: A Read-Together Book for Parents and Young Children During Divorce, by Vicki Lansky – It’s Not Your Fault is an illustrative picture book designed to be read by parents to their children, between the ages of 3 to 7, focusing on the emotions that children of divorce experience such as fear, anger and sadness. Parents can use it help their kids express their emotions and concerns in a delicate and sensitive manner. Children are reassured that their feelings are natural, that their parents still love and will care for them, and that the divorce is not their fault. Included are targeted points for parents, offering information and advice about what the kids are going through, and the best way to handle each issue as it arises.
Mama and Daddy Bear’s Divorce, by Cornelia Maude Spelman – This book provides reassurance for young preschool children in particular. With simple sentence structure and picture illustrations showing children that, as painful and confusing as divorce may be for them, it does not mean that both parents will no longer be part of the child’s life. The words used to describe the divorce and what divorce means are carefully chosen, with the overall message that although the family does not live together, everyone is loved. Families with a strong emphasis on co-parenting will likely prefer a different book.
Dinosaurs Divorce: A Guide to Changing Families, by Marc Brown & Laurie Krasny Brown – The chapters in Dinosaurs Divorce address such concerns as why parents divorce, what will happen to the child following the divorce, how and where holidays will be celebrated, living in two homes and when parents begin dating. It is a guide and resource for young children and parents with simple, easy-to-understand sentences for children ages 4-8, along with illustrated pictures that help young children discuss the feelings about the divorce and problems they are experiencing. It would be best for parents to pick and choose which chapters to read to the child as needed.
There are many good books for parents to read about separation and divorce that both mother’s and father’s would be benefited by. Deal with your own emotions of anger, fear, sadness, loss etc without adding to the child’s problems.
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Children and Divorce: How to Tell Children About Your Divorce
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Posted in Children, Dating, Divorce, Education, Family, Holidays, Marriage, Men, Parenting, Relationships, Shopping, Teenagers, Women on August 12, 2008
Tags: Tags: Best Divorce Books, Divorce Books, Divorce Children's Books, Getting a Divorce, How to Get a Divorce, separation and divorce
Your list of books look like a good selection of self-help guides meant for very young children.
How about a list for teens? I think they suffer, too, but in a different way.
The first book listed, Helping Your Kids Cope With Divorce the Sandcastles Way, is for children/teens between the ages of 6 and 17. It’s an excellent choice for helping teens deal with divorce.
[...] a Diary or Journal where they can unload their feelings and raw emotions, as well as reading books that help children cope with divorce. For example, I recommend Dinosaurs Divorce by Marc Brown and Laurie Krasny-Brown as a great [...]
Hi Lin,
I probably could have used a few of these books for my kids 6 years ago when I was getting divorced.
That being said, unfortunately, in most cases the kids will benefit much more from the parents reading some books (or attending classes) about the importance of being civil to each other in front of their kids.
For too many divorces, a more appropriate book might be something along the lines of “Why are mommy and daddy acting like children?”
Todd
Todd, divorce really affects kids and it’s unfortunate that so many parents become embroiled in a war of words with each other, and the kids are the ones who are hearing this banter against one or both parents.
I agree that divorcing parents would do well to do their own reading about dealing with their own feelings and emotions about the divorce in order to protect and shield their children from the negativity often brought on by divorce. Unfortunately, many if not most parents don’t even think about it. They’re more interested in actually getting the divorce over with than thinking about how it is and will effect their child.
[...] There is no need to spend a lot of money on books for kids, because there are many cheap children’s books on this list that will fit into anyone’s budget. We were signed up for a children’s book of the month club so we never missed out on any of the best classic children’s books, and the very best of the new children’s books as soon as they were published. Related Posts: Children’s Divorce Books [...]
Great resource, here! When my ex and I divorced in 2002, I couldn’t find ANY books like this for our daughter, who was 6 at the time.
Hi Laura, fortunately more people are writing divorce books for children, and teenagers too, and that’s a very good thing. It’s so important for kids to really understand that the divorce is not their fault and they shouldn’t blame themselves as so many kids have the tendency to do.
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