For children to develop emotional awareness and empathy they must first learn about feelings within them self and in others. Emotional intelligence in children is a learning process that starts with identifying and understanding emotions. These books developing emotional awareness are a great tool for teaching children various emotions and how other people experience and deal with their emotions. Some of these have become our favourite’s.
Books that have lessons about an array of feelings are a useful resource when children are learning to understand and be aware of their own emotions. Here are 15 children’s Books Developing Emotional Awareness that explore different themes. Click on the title or the picture if you are interested in purchasing the book through Book depository or Amazon. We live in a small coastal town with limited shopping options so we buy lots of books through both these trusted sites…
Books Developing Emotional Awareness.
1. Today i feel Silly: and other moods that make my day. By J.L Curtis.
Silly, cranky, excited, or sad — everyone has moods that can change each day. Jamie Lee Curtis’ zany and touching verse, paired with Laura Cornell’s whimsical and original illustrations, help kids explore, identify, and even have fun with their ever-changing moods.
2. When Sophie gets angry, really really… Angry. By Molly Bang.
Feelings “Oh is Sophie ever angry now!” Everybody gets angry sometimes. For children, anger can be very upsetting. Parents, teachers, and children can talk about it. People do lots of different things when they get angry. In this Caldecott-honor book, kids will see what Sophie does when she gets angry. What do you do?
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3. My many colored days. By Dr. Seuss.
Using a spectrum of vibrant colors and a menagerie of animals, this unique book does for the range of human moods and emotions what “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” does for the human life cycle. Here is a wonderful way for parents to talk with children about their feelings. With Johnson and Fancher’s atmospheric, large-scale paintings bursting off the pages, Dr. Seuss’s vision is brought to life. This rare and beautiful book is bound to appeal to both the innocent young and the most sophisticated seniors.
4. Theo’s Mood. By MaryAnn Cocca-Leffler.
It’s Mood Monday and Miss Cady’s class is sharing how they feel after the weekend. But Theo doesn’t know whether he’s in a good mood or a bad mood. He has a new baby sister and he isn’t just happy like Eric who got a new bike or sad like April who lost her dog. As Theo’s classmates discuss all their feelings, he realizes he’s not in a good mood or a bad mood–he’s all those things.
5. I feel frightened. By Brian Moses.
Young children experience many confusing emotions in their early years and I feel Frightened looks at the emotions of bring scared and frightened, in light-hearted but ultimately reassuring way. This picture book examines how and why people get frightened, illustrates scenarios of people being frightened and scared, and the best way to deal with it with age-appropriate content. Ideal for home or the classroom, this book contains notes for parents and teachers with suggestions of ways to help children cope when they are frightened.
6. In my heart. A book of feelings. By Jo Witek.
In My Heart explores emotions–happiness, sadness, bravery, anger, shyness and more. Unlike other feelings books that tend to oversimplify, In My Heart lyrically explains what an emotion feels like, physically, inside. For example: “When I get really angry, my heart feels like it’s going to explode! Don’t come near me! My heart is yelling, hot and loud. This is when my heart is mad.” Toddlers will be empowered by this new vocabulary and able to practice articulating and identifying their own emotions.
7. The way I feel. By Janan Cain.
Praised by parents, who say it’s especially valuable when getting children to talk about the day’s triumphs and troubles, and by professionals, who use it in pediatric clinics and with the developmentally disabled and emotionally troubled. Janan Cain’s kids ooze anger and bounce with excitement as they teach the words for emotions.
8. Feelings to Share from A to Z. By Todd Snow
Knowing how to describe our feelings is important to our emotional health. So is knowing it’s okay to talk about our feelings with others. Feelings can be confusing when we don’t have the words to express them; they can be overwhelming and even scary when we keep them to ourselves. In rhyming poems and engaging illustrations, this book helps children build and use a vocabulary for communicating their emotions. Because it’s meant to be read aloud, it encourages discussion. From “A is for Awesome” to “Z is for Zany”, Feelings invites kids to name, claim, and share their emotions.
9. When Miles Got Mad. By Sam Kurtzman-Counter.
When his little brother breaks his favorite toy, MILES GETS MAD. As his anger swells, he suddenly catches sight of himself in the mirror – but instead of his own reflection, a furry red monster with big round eyes and funny teeth stares back at him. By encouraging Miles to use his words to express his anger, the Mad Monster helps Miles move through this big emotion to calm himself. Through this fun story and adorable illustrations, this insightful and entertaining children’s book offers much-needed comfort to young children as they struggle to regulate their emotions.
Children relate to the angry octopus in this story as the sea child shows the octopus how to take a deep breath, calm down, and manage his anger. Children learn to unwind, relax, and control anger with this fun exercise known as progressive muscle relaxation. Children relate to the angry octopus in this story as the sea child shows him how to take a deep breath, calm down, and manage his anger. These effective stress and anger management techniques for children focus awareness on various muscle groups to create a complete resting of the mind and body. Progressive muscle relaxation can be used to lower stress, decrease pain, and manage anger. This engaging story quiets the mind and relaxes the body so your child can let go of anger, relax, and fall asleep peacefully. This story is longer making it ideal for older children or those with a longer attention span.
11. Wilma jean the Worry Machine. By Julie Cook.
Although quite common, anxiety disorders in children are often misdiagnosed and overlooked. Everyone feels fear, worry and apprehension from time to time, but when these feelings prevent a person from doing what he/she wants and/or needs to do, anxiety becomes a disability. This fun and humorous book addresses the problem of anxiety in a way that relates to children of all ages. It offers creative strategies for parents and teachers to use that can lessen the severity of anxiety. The goal of the book is to give children the tools needed to feel more in control of their anxiety. For those worries that are not in any ones control (i.e. the weather,) a worry hat is introduced. A fun read for Wilmas of all ages!
12. Cool Down and Work Through Anger (Learning to Get Along®). By Cheri Meiners.
This heartwarming book encourages positive behavior by using the concept of an invisible bucket to show children how easy and rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation and love by “filling buckets.” Updated and revised, this 10th anniversary edition will help readers better understand that “bucket dipping” is a negative behavior, not a permanent label. It also explains that it’s possible to fill or dip into our own buckets.
14. The Most Magnificent Thing. By Ashley Spires.
A girl has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right. The girl’s frustration and anger are vividly depicted in the detailed art, and the story offers good options for dealing honestly with these feelings, while at the same time reassuring children that it’s okay to make mistakes.
15. A huge Bag of Worries. By Virginia Ironside.
Wherever Jenny goes, her worries follow her – in a big blue bag. They are there when she goes swimming, when she is watching TV, and even when she is in the lavatory. Jenny decides they will have to go. But who can help her?
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jess says
What a fantastic list, thank you!