Teachers can utilize these 15 emotion books and videos in the classroom that teach children emotional regulation skills during social-emotional learning lessons.
Books and Videos that Teach Emotional Skills
Dealing with children’s emotions is a pressing issue among elementary school teachers today. Teachers need to consider how to teach children to recognize, describe, express, and manage their feelings. Explicit lessons about emotions can help children learn healthy social-emotional skills. Here are 15 books and videos about emotions that you can share with your class.
Children naturally express their emotions, although it’s not always in an appropriate manner. Emotional skills can be learned, and YOU can help your students adopt socially responsible ways of managing emotions. Share some of these books and videos with them today!
Emotional Skills Books
In each of the books listed below, the main characters struggle to define or express their emotions. Sometimes a tricky concept for youngsters to grasp, social-emotional learning can be successfully promoted in your classroom. Let the characters and situations described in these books illustrate what emotions are and how to handle them.
1. Don’t Think About Purple Elephants by Susanne Merritt
In this book about facing your worries, children will see how one little girl copes with her overwhelming feelings of worry and fear.
2. The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken
In this surprisingly creative book, the artist demonstrates to children how each mistake in her artwork can lead to a brilliant and positive new creation. Children learn that, like art, we are all a work in progress.
3. Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
Jealousy hits a little boy hard in this story, where he wonders why his life and his possessions aren’t as nice as he assumes everyone else’s are. See how he deals with his emotions and learns to be content with the beauty in his own world.
4. The Crayon Box that Talked by Derolf and Letzig
This is a very popular book that explains the value of diversity and how everything is more beautiful when all the different colors in the crayon box work together. This book teaches children about the importance of cooperation and community.
5. Pass it On by Sophie Henn
Spread kindness and cheerful encouragement through your classroom by reading this inspiring book with children. They will pick up on how passing along a joyful feeling to others can make everyone’s day brighter.
Kids benefit from writing and drawing about their feelings in a journal.
6. The Dot by Peter Reynolds
The main character in this book struggles to overcome her feelings of inadequacy. Children reading this book see how she battles her feelings of “I can’t” and ultimately overcomes.
7. Millie Fierce by Jane Manning
The lesson of this book: When you act out for attention, the result is that you don’t get the attention you crave. Children see Millie learn the lesson that being kind and friendly is the best way to manage feelings of loneliness and ultimately gain friendships.
8. The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
This long-time favorite book of teachers everywhere includes a life lesson about emotions from a ladybug. He learns that being grouchy and avoiding manners isn’t the best way to keep friends.
9. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
For those days when nothing seems to go right, and the classroom atmosphere has tanked, try this book. In it, the main character, Alexander, faces similar circumstances, and the uplifting ending will ultimately smooth things over. Alexander learns that things aren’t really that bad.
10. When Sophie Gets Angry — Really, Really Angry… by Molly Bang
How do people deal with scary emotions like anger? In this book, children learn what happens when Sophie gets angry and how she discovers that solitude and space can help make things better.
Incorporate writing activities into your lessons about feelings by using books like “The Feelings Book” and “The Feel-Good Book” by Todd Parr. Click here to check it out. Discover this book, along with four additional children’s books that help teach emotional awareness, in our companion resource for K-2.
Emotional Skills Videos
Pull up these great videos as a supplement to your lessons on emotional skills. They are great for visual and auditory learners, and they entertain while creatively teaching the concepts. Your students are going to love them!
Controlling Emotions by Math and Learning Videos for Kids
We are all, in a way, like Mr. Box – holding in our emotions until one day we explode. Watch this video about managing strong emotions with your class, and your students will be able to see how we can’t just let things roll around in our heads without dealing with them.
Learn Feelings and Emotions by Learning Time Fun
Do your students know the vocabulary necessary for labeling their emotions? For younger students, a video like this one can sometimes help them identify how they’re feeling.
Children will enjoy matching emotion words with real pictures that represent each emotion.
Sad, Bad, Terrible Day by The Learning Station
This catchy song can be used to get kids moving and dancing while teaching them how to cope with a bad day. Have them “brush it off” along with the character, and watch them squeal with laughter about the bird poop!
Name That Emotion with Murray by Sesame Street
Sesame Street brings it again – a cute little puppet skit. This one is about emotions, in which children are exposed to vocabulary and funny circumstances that cause the puppets to express them.
Encourage kids to self-reflect on how they are feeling and record their emotions on the emotions clip chart—the perfect tool for your classroom meeting.
The Tantrum Phantom by Candyseed Stories
Tantrums make people want to avoid you, and being lonely isn’t fun. In this short story, Brianna learns that controlling her temper is the best way to get what she wants.
The above books and videos teach students about emotions and encourage the growth of emotional intelligence. Try reading and watching them in your classroom, and you can reach those little minds and hearts in your care.
Feelings & Emotions Classroom Resources
FREE Emotions Lesson & Feelings Journal
Help students learn to identify and process their feelings in an emotions journal.
Download a free lesson and activities on identifying and labeling emotions from the Emotions unit by clicking the image below and signing up.
Emotions K-2 SEL Unit
The Complete Emotions unit includes numerous helpful lessons and activities to help children learn to identify their feelings and express them appropriately.
Emotions Book Companions
This emotional awareness resource includes five book companions on popular children’s books that relate to feelings and emotions (The Color Monster; The Feelings Book; Glad Monster, Sad Monster; F is for Feelings; In My Heart). Children will participate in classroom discussions and book chats, share their thoughts and feelings in written form, and engage in fun, engaging activities that foster emotional awareness and social skills.
This emotions book companion resource includes a detailed lesson plan, guided questions, an anchor chart, a writing response, and follow-up activities (both printable and digital) for all five books. Great for distance learning and remote teaching of social-emotional skills!
Read More about Teaching Emotions
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