I love to explore feelings with young children through books and through the arts, such as puppets. It is a safe way for children to explore emotions and develop empathy in a safe situation as they realize others feel emotions just like they do.
How Do You Feel? By: Anthony Browne
This is a simple book for young children which includes a monkey showing a variety of different feelings in relation to simple concepts that children will understand. This is a perfect book to introduce emotions to students. When the monkey is bored there are no colors to engaged the children. When the monkey is lonely it is very small on the page filled with white empty space. When the monkey is hungry he has a banana. When the monkey is full there is a picture of a banana peel!
How Are You Peeling? Foods With Moods
By: Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
This is a hilarious book for young children to explore feelings using a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. The creators of this book carved unique shaped food, sculpted them with an Exacto knife and then used natural materials like beet juice to add details like mouths to add realistic feelings!
Grumpy Goat
By: Brett Helquist
Goat is the grumpiest animal at Sunny Acres farm until he remembers that there is more the life than eating and being alone.
Tough Guy
By: Keith Negley
This is a perfect book to show that everyone has emotions – even superheroes, ninjas, and wrestlers! They face challenges, frustrations, and concerns no matter how brave, fast or strong they are!
Get Happy
By: Malachy Doyle
This is a book about opposites. It is a very simple book for very young children to think about what behaviors they can change to help them be happy!
Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners
By: Laurie Keller
This is a story about Mr. Rabbit. He wonders if he will be able to get along with his new neighbors, who are otters, until he is reminded of the golden rule.
