Picture Books are my favorite way to introduce new concepts to my students. Social-emotional learning is a concept that teachers need to be teaching in their classrooms, and I find it so helpful to introduce these concepts using picture books. Picture books help my students put new concepts into action. I love to see my students reflect on the things that they’ve learned in picture books and have discussions with their classmates. Today we are going to talk about the books that I like to share with my students to learn more about social-emotional learning.
The first book on the list is The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. This story is about a little boy who feels invisible and is not included in the activities of his classmates. Everything changes when Justin joins the class. Justin and Brian work together on a project and everything changes for Brian. The rest of the class starts to see what Brian has to offer to the class. This is a great story to help your students understand how to include everyone, and how excluding our classmates can make them feel.
The next book on the list is Enemy Pie by Derek Munson. This is the perfect story to teach kindness, respect, courtesy, and friendship. In this fun story, a little boy learns a recipe from his dad to turn an enemy into his friend. This book is perfect for kids learning how to make friends and resolve conflict.
The next book on the list is After the Fall by Dan Santat. We all know that Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, but what happened to him after the fall? This is an excellent story about facing your fears. Humpty Dumpty is scared to do the things that he always loved. Will he ever get the courage to face his fear and try the things that he loves again?
The next book on the list is The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi. Being the new kid can be hard. Unhei decides that instead of having the class learn to say her name, she will have the class create names for her and put them in a jar. But after trying out the different names, nothing feels quite right. Her new friend helps her realize that her name is special. This is a great story to help students feel accepted and realize that each one of them is special.
The next book on the list is Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak. This is a great book to teach kids about a growth mindset. It is so important for kids to have a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset. This book talks about all the ways we can stretch our brain and help it learn things.
This next book on the list is always a favorite. We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio goes along with the book Wonder. This book goes into the life of Auggie and what it is like to live in his shoes. This is the perfect book to discuss the idea of belonging. This is perfect for younger children to discuss the concept of empathy and kindness.
The next book is My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook. Louis has a problem with interrupting. His thoughts are very important to him and the words just come out like a volcano. Then some other people start to interrupt Louis and he learns how to patiently wait for his turn to speak. I feel like students who interrupt is always a challenge in the classroom, and this book is a great story to help with this.
The last book on the list is Grow Happy by Jon Lasser. In Grow Happy, Kiko loves to garden and take care of her garden. She learns that just like her garden is happy, she can be happy too. This book helps kids to see that they are able to nurture their own happiness. The tools that the book introduces are social support, good choices, and problem-solving skills. The message of this book is perfect for the classroom.
This list of picture books is perfect for helping our students with social-emotional learning. I always enjoy seeing my students take all of these lessons to heart. What books do you love to share with your class for social-emotional learning? Share your favorites with me in the comments! I can’t wait to add more to my classroom favorites!
