Discovering and recognizing our emotions start before we are even able to talk. Life happens around us from the moment we are born, and we immediately begin producing response systems to stimuli. Helping young children create awareness of their emotions begins by offering them the tools to identify how they feel, and books are a great way to do this. 9 of the best-selling books about emotions for preschoolers or toddlers are right here and will help your little ones healthily express their emotions!
The Best 9 Books About Emotions For Preschoolers and Toddlers
When it comes to books about emotions, there is a fantastic selection available. First, it is best to aim for fun and informative as you dip your toes in the pool of options, with plenty of pictures and faces where your child can clearly see the emotion being portrayed.
Children benefit from building their emotional vocabulary from a young age, and books are an effective way to help both you and your preschooler discover together. Here is a list of 9 best-selling books about emotions for you to consider when helping your child on this crucial learning journey.
Find Out About Feelings
Find Out About Feelings is a flip board book with simplified scenarios and potential emotions to go with them. It talks about both good and bad days, and one could respond to them.
This is a great starter book with its bright and colorful pictures and allows parents to ask, how might that feel? Children are then free to lift the (exciting!) flaps to find appropriate answers. This is one of the top sellers for parents with autistic children, with its clear and concise images proving to be effective in discovering emotions.
How Do I Feel?
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Another board book, How Do I Feel? is suitable for children 2 years plus, showing different characters representing sadness, pride, anger, and happiness.
Clear images depicting emotions alongside a simple volume of text make this a great introduction book. There is a little talk in the book about how the body responds to emotions and what happens inside us, which is a great conversation starter. The science behind the words remains simple yet effective as you are guided through page by page.
All About Feelings
All About Feelings is one of the best sellers of children’s emotions books out there. Being a firm favorite covers various emotions and how the children in the book might be feeling. There are a lot of topics covered, including worrying and feeling calm. This book, with its diverse images, also makes for a very inclusive read.
All About Feelings encourages children to talk about their own feelings, and from exploring this book, children can begin to choose which emotion they would like to talk about when the book is pulled out. There are colors to go with the emotions. For instance, red is associated with anger and frustration and is very interactive.
How Are You Feeling Today?
How Are You Feeling Today delves into the here and now. This is a great book to open with your child at any point of the day and gives specific instructions to turn to certain pages if you feel a particular emotion. It also contains a guide for parents and a feeling tracker, which can be fun to complete.
This book is a great tool for focusing on specific emotions. If your little one is feeling a particular way, they can explore it with helpful suggestions and a ‘feelings tracker’ to gauge their days from morning to bedtime, surrounded by different images of children feeling various emotions, makes it an enjoyable and interactive read for both adult and child.
Me and My Feelings
Me and My Feelings is an excellent book that will run your preschooler through the complex subject of feelings!
The book begins by breaking down the two sections of your brain; feelings and thinking. It is packed full of useful tips that your preschooler can use to heal deal with the various emotions a human can feel.
There is no doubt that you will need to help your toddler or preschooler read this book, but it is worth being on this page because of the awesome tips it gives!
The Invisible String
The Invisible String is a fiction bestseller covering the difficult topic of connections between loved ones. The book is cathartic for both adults and children as the concept of an invisible string connecting us all no matter how far away we are is played out by a mother to her two children.
It can be incredibly challenging to engage in sadness or grief with children, and sometimes it’s hard to know where to start or what to say to comfort your little ones. The Invisible String has healed many hearts and is definitely one not to miss in your collection.
Listening To My Body
Listening To My Body is a mindful approach to emotions, encouraging children to focus on being still, listening to, and naming their emotions. The calm feel around the book paves the way for reflection and intuition.
Listening To My Body is fantastic for pausing. Sometimes, emotions can be so overwhelming to children that they barely have time to process why and how. With this book, there is ample opportunity to think about and name the feelings inside them, which is great for self-regulation.
My Body Sends A Signal
For the perfect blend of education and fun, My Body Sends A Signal hits the spot. The book contains various stories that you can use to interact with your child and get them thinking. There are some fantastic activities inside that offer hours of fun for all.
My Body Sends A Signal is an informative way to educate children on how they may feel physically and how it can be associated with an emotion. The book is designed to allow consideration when responding to emotions and how we can actually choose to respond in more appropriate ways.
The Tell Me Tree
The Tell Me Tree is a beautifully illustrated, positive book offering children an opportunity to speak to trusted grown-ups in any setting about how they feel by using the concept of a tree. It is a very peaceful book, with gentle words and drawings, and is a very refreshing read.
The Tell Me Tree also contains a free poster and has resources inside for both children and adults, so it is great for school use. This book is a must-have for any child who likes to express themselves through drawing or writing as it encourages multi-creative outlets when exploring various emotions.
Never Too Early!
These 9 books about emotions for preschoolers offer different approaches to sitting with your children and introducing them to their emotions, with each one offering child-friendly strategies for dealing with and discovering feelings.
The older children get, the more complicated emotions can seem, especially when surrounded by like-minded others, figuring out their way in the world. It would be incorrect to assume that all children are as emotionally intelligent as each other.
Giving your child the strongest start in life by introducing them to some of these books will ensure they understand that emotions, good or bad, are okay to feel. Remember, it is never too early to look at images with your children. Any time spent doing so is quality time and will further boost the emotional compass.
