Last Updated on March 3, 2024 by Natalie
Aww, toddlers. Sweet, little angels.
Make sure you act right, though.
My little boy definitely adores me (as I do him) but sometimes kids behave their worst with their mothers or primary caretakers. They know there are no conditions on your love and so they sort of let loose.
Between many delicious cuddles, kisses, hugs and “gracias, Mamá”s, my little guy struggles with big emotions. He’ll hit, kick, bite and throw things. #toddlerlife
Worst of all, he became fixated on his favorite cousin and she was the target of his unprovoked attacks.
I signed up for the workshops, read up on all the articles I could find and searched through all the gentle parenting Facebook groups.
I learned that the behavior is normal, my toddler is not mean or bad and that he is doing these things to try to communicate something he cannot articulate with words. While that helps my patience, I still need it to stop.
I remembered that my best friend went through a hitting phase with her son and when I asked her how she got through it, she recommended a couple of toddler books about hitting and kicking.
Why Spanish Toddler Books About Hitting are Great
1. My toddler loves books so I felt this was a great avenue. It’s an interesting way to relay the message along with colorful illustrations.
2. These books show fun alternatives of what your hands and feet are meant for so it’s a positive redirection rather than focusing on the “no.”
3. Finally, it just so happens that these books are part of the Best Behavior books series that we have other books from and they are available in English and English/Spanish! My son only speaks Spanish so I try to save myself the translation trouble and buy Spanish books for him.
Here are the Spanish toddler books about hitting and kicking that we are using to help drive the message home that peaceful communication is best.
Hands Are Not for Hitting / Las Manos No Son Para Pegar
By Martine Agassi
This 11-spread board book shares all of the fun things to use your hands for starting with saying hello and ending with goodbye. There is a helpful note for the parents on the last spread. This book has about 300 5-star reviews on Amazon.
Feet Are Not for Kicking / Los Pies No Son Para Patear
by Elizabeth Verdick
This board book also has 11 colorful spreads of fun things to use your feet for. My little boy likes to act them out as I read them and he also recalls them at times when we’re not reading the books. Like when we’re outside and he shows me how he kicks the leaves with his feet. This book has over 1,450 5-star reviews on Amazon.
Teeth Are Not for Biting / Los Dientes no son Para Morder
by Elizabeth Verdick
As with the rest of the collection, this book gives alternatives that we use our teeth for. It addresses the 2 primary reasons biting may happen: to soothe while teething and as an emotional response. Like the other books, this one has an average 4.8 star rating.
Voices Are Not For Yelling / La Voz No Es Para Gritar
by Elizabeth Verdick
While I was at this effort to teach kindness through books, I selected a couple of other titles that I felt we could benefit from. My little boy screams sometimes when he gets really mad (as one can do when they are feeling human). While I don’t expect him to be a robot, I felt that the message is one that could be beneficial. After reading it, I can confirm it addresses a natural urge to scream when you’re upset or excited and explore calming and communication as an alternative. All good by me.
Words Are Not for Hurting / Las Palabras No son para Lastimar
by Elizabeth Verdick
This book explores the effect your words have on others and encourages kids to think before they react and also about repairing when they don’t do so. This book has a 4.9 average star rating. A great piece to this series.
Do you have any thoughts or something to add? Comment below 🙂
If you are raising a Spanish-speaking toddler or are interested in Spanish resources for children, join Toddlerhood in Spanish.
