It is not difficult to choose a gift for a preschooler, because his main activity is play. Adults most often give the child toys and picture books. But by the age of 7, most children already know how to read, actively ask questions to which parents cannot always find the correct answer. The best gift for a future first grader is an encyclopedia, which will become his assistant in mastering the school curriculum.
Age features of primary school age
Please note that at the beginning or at the end of the printed edition, it should be indicated for what age it is intended. The age of the target audience is also often indicated on the cover of books. For example: "For children 6-7 years old." It is better if the book becomes a reference book for a child for the next several years, and not for 1 year. The ideal option would be an encyclopedia for children 5-10 years old.
It has long been known that through actions people are better able to perceive new material. It is not for nothing that visual-active thinking, which is the first step in human thinking, remains with him even in adulthood. Therefore, the assimilation of information by the child occurs in a more exciting form, if it is accompanied by manipulations with cards, chips, volumetric details, as well as drawing, cutting, gluing, assembling parts. Stopping your choice on an encyclopedia for a baby, it is worth considering this feature. Fortunately, the variety of assortment of encyclopedias for children allows you to do this.
Experts have found that the thinking of a 7-year-old child is predominantly already becoming visual-figurative. Moreover, at primary school age, it begins a smooth transition to verbal-logical. This means that it is easier for a child to perceive new information with the help of vivid visual material and specific examples, on the basis of which the child draws his logical conclusions and conclusions. Therefore, it is best to choose an encyclopedia with colorful pictures based on the fascinating adventures of some magical creatures.
Contents of a book
Encyclopedias are different in their content. Best of all, if it is a book entirely devoted to one topic, because the book "Everything about everything" will not be able to give children comprehensive information about any particular area. For example, "Human body". It is understood that the content of the book should fully reveal the topic and tell in an accessible form for kids about the parts of the body, organs and functions of the human body. It is necessary to selectively read the text in order to check if the correct information is presented to children. Often, an encyclopedia for primary schoolchildren is implemented in several volumes, each of which covers one branch of knowledge.
Before buying a book for a particular child, it is advisable to find out what he is fond of. For example, if he is interested in the life of insects, then the "Encyclopedia of Insects" will be an impeccable gift for him. Of course, if he doesn't have it yet. And best of all, if the trip to the bookstore can be carried out with the child, in order to take into account the wishes of the baby.
Book quality
For an encyclopedia to serve for a long time, it is necessary to analyze not only the content of the book, but also the quality, which should be the best. It is recommended that prints be in hardcover. Moreover, the last successful invention in this direction was lightweight paperbacks, which effectively perform their function of a wrapper and make the weight of the book significantly less. It is desirable that the paper be thick enough, glossy, white. It is necessary that the letters and images from the back side are not visible on the pages. Also, there should be no extra glare from lighting. Otherwise, it will be an unnecessary burden for the child's eyesight.
Do not lose sight of the fact that children who have recently learned how to put letters into syllables find it difficult to read books with small print. In order not to discourage a first grader from reading, choose a medium-sized font that meets the sanitary rules for the design of school textbooks. That is, the font size of the main text should be at least 16-18. Also, an adult should independently check that there are no inadequate pictures, gross typos and errors on the pages.
