Abbi and Van are having a sleepover at Grammy and Pop’s. Should be fun! But there’s a storm, with loud thunder and bursts of lightning. The lights go out. Van is way past scared. What can make him feel better? These don’t always come naturally, though. Sometimes, even as adults, we have a hard time pinpointing exactly what we are feeling or why we might be feeling a certain way. Kids don’t know what a feeling is until they are given a name for it. They can be overwhelming at times (come on, how many of us as adults have been overwhelmed with an emotion, too?) and helping your child identify feelings and manage them is part of healthy, well-rounded development and maturation. Doing so can help give them the building blocks they need for emotional regulation, coping in the face of adversity, and building relationships with others. Books can be a great way to help show children facial cues about emotions or illustrating what an emotion consists of or what it can look like. Coping techniques can be discussed, and they can be a great conversation starter about our emotions. Here are some books about feelings to check out. If you’re looking for more great books for children’s social-emotional learning, check out these children’s books about empathy, then use these tips to create a reading nook for your kids and have a place to read with them!
