Developing Social/Emotional Skills

Tonight, I'm taking a class dealing with using children's literature to build social/emotional skills in preschoolers. This is one of the areas I had absolutely no interest in when I started the school year, but I have grown to appreciate the importance of these skills in preschool and it's on my list of "Things I Need to Do Better Next Year."

Here are some of the books I've discovered to help teach social/emotional skills in preschool:

When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang

This story is perfect for teaching children how to deal with their anger. In the story, Sophie becomes upset when her sister takes a toy from her. She gets even more upset when her mom agrees that it's her sister's turn to play with the toy. She runs from the house and finds herself calming down when she finds a quiet spot. So many of my children find themselves in this exact position; they can relate to Sophie and use her example to deal with their own anger.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Everybody has bad days. The tiniest upset can send a day spinning into a train wreck. Even my preschoolers know this. Alexander helps them feel comforted by the fact that they are not alone, and even despite how horrible the day might feel, there are always people who love us and will do anything to make us feel better.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

This book, about a young girl with a beautiful, but a bit unique, name, is an excellent lesson in confidence. When bullying has become such an issue in our society, I believe it is even more important to teach children to be confident in themselves. This book teaches children that the little things that might be different about us are what makes us beautiful and interesting.

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

This story helps teach the values of sharing. Not only does sharing make our friends feel good, it makes us feel good too. At first, the rainbow fish does not want to share his scales; they are what makes him beautiful - if he gives them up, he won't be beautiful anymore. What he discovers, though, is that sharing his scales lets him share his beauty and his friends love him even more for it. This is a skill that many preschoolers struggle with, and this book helps them see why it is a great skill to learn.

On Monday When It Rained by Cherryl Kachenmeister

This book walks through a week in the life of a young boy who feels many, many emotions. The pictures, simple though they are, are perfect for helping children identify what emotions look like. The book also helps children understand that they might be feeling different emotions and that is perfectly normal and okay. As an adult, it can be easy for me to forget that my preschoolers might be overwhelmed by the emotions they are feeling; after all, there are certainly days when I struggle to identify what is wrong or bothering me. My job, as their teacher is to give them the tools they need to sort through the emotions. This book is one of those tools.

These are obviously not the only books out there to teach social/emotional skills, but it's a good start. I'm looking forward to learning even more about how to use literacy to teach these skills tonight. I'll share what I learn tomorrow!