Emotions & Feelings Archives - Page 5 of 7

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Emotions & Feelings

Fri
25 ^th

Hug Me
by Simona Ciraolo

Poor Little Felipe. All he wants is a little hug but his family are far too prickly and aloof. They are very concerned with appearances and don’t seem to notice that he needs some affection. It’s a tough life being a little cactus with a big heart!

He tries to make friends with a balloon and at first this looks promising but when Felipe tries to get close the relationship ends with a POP. Ashamed, he decides to leave home and start life anew.

He settles in to life as a solitary cactus but then one day he hears someone sobbing. Can he make them feel better with a hug and if so is it possible they could be friends?

Wed
09 ^th

Sharing Time By Elizabeth Verdick & Marieka Heinlen

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I have been a big fan of the Toddler Tools books by Elizabeth Verdick ever since Calm-Down Time helped us with controlling tantrums. This other title from the series – Sharing Time – is the one we’re currently reading a lot and i’m hoping we’ll have similar success!

It shows how it’s fun to share some things (like hugs and see-saws for example) but more difficult to share others. Children worry about sharing their toys because they aren’t sure if they will get them back or if they will be broken.

Using calming language the books teaches children the words they need in order to be able to share things with their friends. It helps them identify the feelings they experience when they don’t want to share and offers a little breathing exercise they can do in order to regulate their emotions and move forward without a major incident. Ultimately it shows that we all have more fun when we play together nicely and share – something which is true for both toddlers and grown-ups alike!

Thu
03 ^rd

A Rule Is To Break By John Seven & Jana Christy

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We love this little guide to anarchy which encourages your child to test their boundaries and not to follow the status quo.

It shows how it’s healthy to question authority and to ask why when someone asks you to do something. It suggests getting muddy and messy to build things and grow things and to figure out how things work. It tells you that you should always think for yourself.

The core message is that a little anarchy is a good thing. It doesn’t encourage your child to be naughty – although it does suggest they make a lot of noise and try staying awake all night to see how it feels! – it just highlights that life is better when you try new things, embrace change, listen to others thoughts and walk your own path.

The cheeky illustrations are perfect for the subject matter and always make Ivy giggle – there’s a bare bottom on one of the pages which cracks her up every time!

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2JQxn3D

Sun
29 ^th

Kaya’s Heart Song
by Diwa Tharan Sanders & Nerina Canzi

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One day little Kaya stumbles across her mother meditating. She is also humming an unfamiliar tune which Kaya finds fascinating. When she asks what it is her mother explains that it is her heart song – the song which her heart sings when she is happy.

Kaya would very much like a heart song of her own but she doesn’t know how to find it so instead she goes out to play. She follows a butterfly in to the jungle and there she finds an old man guarding a broken-down elephant carousel.

Drawn to the elephants, Kaya climbs on top of one to try and free it from some vines. She imagines what it would be like to be a beautiful princess riding the elephant through the jungle and suddenly she hears the soft beat of music in her ear.

Sat
28 ^th

Forever… By Emma Dodd

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This little book about a parent’s love for their child is super cute and may have made me well up a little the first time Ivy and I read it together!

The gentle rhyme reassures your child that you will always be there for them in their life no matter what they are going through. Whether they are happy or sad, smiling or scared you will always walk besides them and help them in any way that you can.

The illustrations are delightful and really evoke the spirit of the book. Our version has shiny silver patches for the snow which Ivy really likes.

It’s not explicit within the book (but then i’m no polar bear expert!) but the back cover says that this is a daddy polar bear which is a lovely touch as so many of these types of books feature a mother instead.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2Hzc5La

Sun
22 ^nd

Beautiful OOPS! By Barney Saltzberg

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This creative little book is a fantastic tool for teaching children that it’s healthy to make mistakes.

Every page features a spill or a smudge or a tear which could be deemed a disaster to a small child – but the clever illustrations and the excellent paper craftsmanship shows that each little mistake is in fact an opportunity.

A torn page becomes the mouth of a crocodile. Some spilled paint becomes a pile of puppies, some ducks and then an elephant. A bent page becomes a penguin’s beak and a scrunched up piece of paper becomes a lovely sheep.

Ivy enjoys saying ‘OOPS!’ at the turn of each page and is always excited to see what the oops will become. Her favourite is the dog’s head created from a torn scrap of paper.

Fri
13 ^th

Words And Your Heart
by Kate Jane Neal

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At first glance this book looks like it’s going to be soppy and ‘girly’ but do not be fooled. It teaches a really important lesson and should not be overlooked because of the abundance of hearts on the cover!

The beautifully illustrated text talks about our words and the impact they have. Words are great for chatting with your friends and describing things you’ve seen and explaining how you feel but sometimes words can hurt. They can make you cry and affect how people feel in their hearts.

Because of this we need to understand that our words have power and we should use that power for good. Your words can cheer someone up if they are feeling sad, lift someone up when they don’t feel strong or help someone keep going when they are ready to give up.

If you use your words to help other people then you can help make the world a better place.

Thu
12 ^th

Calm-Down Time By Elizabeth Verdick & Marieka Heinlen

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A few weeks ago one of our Instagram followers asked for my help with finding a book which could help her daughter learn to handle her emotions. Toddlers often have tantrums because they struggle to express their feelings in words so she was looking for a tool that would help mitigate this.

We’re only just getting in to the tantrum stage with Ivy so this wasn’t an area I had properly researched but I had heard good things about this book by Elizabeth Verdick. Wary of recommending something I hadn’t actually read, I ordered a copy and I am extremely glad that I did. This little board book has proven itself to be very effective!

It explains the emotions your toddler might be feeling in very simple terms and then gives a little mantra to help them calm down which is repeated throughout the book. It also offers up suggestions about how they can make themselves feel better, like asking for a cuddle, talking about how they feel, or simply finding a quiet place to play or sing by themselves.

Sat
07 ^th

The Skin You Live In
by Michael Tyler & David Lee Csicsko

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I don’t really have the words to explain how fantastic I think this book is. In my opinion it should be on the shelf of every school library as it does such a great job of celebrating diversity.

On the surface the book is about skin colour but it’s also so much more than that. As well as illustrating the beautiful range of skin colours we have and describing them all in a lovely way, it shows how we are not to be defined by colour and encourages your child to look beyond the surface.

Our skin is a part of us and every day it helps us to be who we are and do the things we enjoy. We live inside it and smile in it. We play in it and we sleep in it. We have fun in it and we laugh in it (to quote the book we even ‘dream about eating ice cream’ in it <3).

Thu
29 ^th

Today I Feel… By Madalena Moniz

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I bought this book online on a whim purely because I fell in love with the artwork on the front. I had no idea what it was about or whether it was any good but fortunately when it arrived the contents lived up to the cover!

The book is an alphabet of feelings, with each double page dedicated to one letter/emotion and a corresponding image. The range of emotions covered is really wide and the beautiful illustrations and colours give a fantastic sense of how each one feels.

From Adored and Brilliant to Yucky and Zzzz (via Jealous, Patient and Warm) this gorgeous book is a fantastic way to start discussing emotions and feelings with your child.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2uCxnSj

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