Reading for Connection

One of my absolute favorite ways to address tricky topics with kids is through stories. A cozy blanket, one-on-one time with a parent and an emotional health lesson. It doesn’t get much better than that! But truly children love snuggling up to their favorite person and listening to a story. It’s a very sweet time to share with one another. It truly is a good time to introduce a topic they may be struggling with through a relatable character.

It can be tricky for kids to talk about their emotions. Think about all the mental work that has to go into communicating your feelings: first you have to feel the feeling (oof) then you have to label the feeling (how?) then you have to adequately (read respectfully) communicate that feeling to an adult. That’s a mental work out! And it’s beyond many children’s abilities. But the good news is you can help them identify and develop language for emotions simply by snuggling up and reading a story to them. (And the best part: someone already came up with all the words which means you don’t have to wonder what to say and how to say it!)

For kids, seeing a character in a similar situation and having similar emotions can help develop their own emotional differentiation (labeling their emotions). This skill has a cascade of effects: it helps kids decrease the intensity of the emotion, which means kids calm down faster, it builds their emotional intelligence, and it builds their communication skills.

Some of my absolute favorite books for teaching kids about emotions are:

- Are You Mad At Me? By Tyler & Cody Feder. A silly book about an Ostrich who is so focused on her worries that she misses some pretty wonderful bids for connection.

- There Might Be Lobsters! By Carolyn Crimi. Another silly one told from a little dog’s perspective who’s quite worried about the beach with the too wavy waves and too sandy sand.

- Weather Together (Not Quite Narwal & Friends) by Jessie Sima. It’s about a unicorn who has a big sad feeling and is embarrassed to share it with her friend. But she soon discovers that sharing her feelings makes them feel more manageable.

- A Shelter for Sadness by Anne Booth. A great story about a little boy who befriends his feeling of sadness and builds it a comfortable place to live where he can visit often.

So get your cozy blanket and a good cup of hot cocoa and enjoy some togetherness while you and your little one embark on the not-so-scary world of emotions.