There are so many ways to engage children in social emotional learning. We can support both our children’s literacy skills and their emotional development by thoughtfully incorporating meaningful books.
The following books are organized by the five core competencies of social emotional learning: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills. Each book explores themes and topics that help children learn valuable skills about themselves, others, and the world around them.
During and after reading these books, try to engage in discussions related to the various topics found in each book to best cultivate these foundational SEL habits. Be open to the possibility that there is actually a whole lot of learning to be done by us (the educators, parents or caregivers) from the messages many of these books have to offer and we can use the examples in the book as a reminder to strengthen our own skills as we model them for kids.
Self-Awareness
- The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
- I’m Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
Self-Management
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
- No David! by David Shannon
Responsible Decision-Making
- Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
- The Worst Day of My Life Ever! by Julia Cook
Social Awareness
- Does a Seal Smile? by Fred Ehrlich
- Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Relationship Skills
- Zach Apologizes by Williams Mulcahy
- My Mouth is a Volcano! by Julia Cook
