Read About Feelings

© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.

Some of the best books for toddlers capture unspoken feelings and worries, such as “Will Mama find me if I go too far?” or “If Grandpa looks mad, does that mean he don’t love me anymore?” 

Read stories about toddler-like characters who get lost and are found, run away and return, have temper tantrums and recover, or make mistakes and are forgiven.

Read to individual toddlers and small groups. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed Emberley and Lots of Feelings by Shelley Rotner can prompt talk about feelings.
• Sometimes I’m Bombaloo by Rachel Vail can help toddlers talk about anger and tantrums.
• No Biting by Karen Katz and Quiet LOUD by Leslie Patricelli can help toddlers learn appropriate ways to express themselves.
• Authors such as Mercer Mayer, Barbara Joosse, Eloise Greenfield, and Todd Parr capture toddlers’ feelings.
• The Center on the Social-Emotional Foundations of Early Learning has a “Book Nook” that offers guides with ideas for using a variety of books to build social-emotional competence, language, and literacy. http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html#booknook

Be prepared to reread a story if it speaks to a toddler’s feelings. When a toddler recognizes herself in a character or in a situation, she may ask to hear the story a second, or even third, time. Each reading will offer valuable opportunities to talk more about her feelings, experiences, and ideas.