15 of the Best Social Emotional Learning Books
Hey there, teacher friend! Are you looking for some of the best social emotional learning books for your kindergarten students? Well, look no further! Here are 15 amazing picture books that will help your kiddos learn about emotions, empathy, and social skills.
15 of the Best Social Emotional Learning Books
A Fan Favorite of the Social Emotional Learning Books ✨:
How Full is Your Bucket For Kids
“In “How Full is Your Bucket for Kids” it teaches us that each person has an invisible bucket. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it’s empty, we feel awful. Felix, the main character, begins to see how every interaction in a day either fills or empties his bucket. Felix then realizes that everything he says or does to other people fills or empties their buckets as well.”
This book does a great job showing that our words and actions affect others and it shows it in a tangible way that young students can understand.
My Mouth is a Volcano
“Louis always interrupts! All of his thoughts are very important to him, and when he has something to say, his words rumble and grumble in his tummy, they wiggle and jiggle on his tongue and then they push on his teeth, right before he ERUPTS (or interrupts). His mouth is a volcano! But when others begin to interrupt Louis, he learns how to respectfully wait for his turn to talk.”
My Mouth Is A Volcano helps students understand interrupting, practice self-control, and learn to listen to others and wait their turn.
Social Emotional Learning Books on Basic Emotions ✨:
The Way I Feel:
“Helping children identify and express their feelings in a positive manner is important for their social-emotional learning, developing empathy, and building resilience. Feelings are neither good nor bad, they simply are. Kids need words to name their feelings, just as they need words to name all things in their world.”
The Way I Feel helps students learn the basic emotions, things that may trigger those emotions, and how the main character expresses those emotions. It also teaches a very important lesson: that feelings come and feelings go and that no feeling sticks around forever.
The Way I Act
“The Way I Act explores various ways of behaving and conveys many positive ideas of how to act in a variety of situations.”
This book is the companion book to The Way I Feel. It touches on topics like compassion, responsibility, and imagination, and the behaviors that go with these traits as well as showing these traits to grow into the person we want to become (aka, a good, kind, responsible citizen!) 🙂
The Dot
“Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can’t draw – she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. “There!” she says. That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self-discovery.”
This is a great book for those students who really struggle with art or drawings and feel like their art work isn’t “good.” It shows that there is a creative spirit in all of us and that we just show it in different ways.
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
“Beatrice Bottomwell has NEVER (not once!) made a mistake. She never forgets her math homework, she never wears mismatched socks, and she ALWAYS wins the yearly talent show at school. In fact, the entire town calls her The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes! One day, the inevitable happens: Beatrice makes a huge mistake in front of everyone!”
This is a fantastic story about how it’s ok to make mistakes and how we can even laugh about them and learn from them. This is a great book for the perfectionist students in your class and how no one is perfect and everybody makes mistakes.
Grumpy Monkey
“Jim the chimpanzee is in a terrible mood for no good reason. His friends can’t understand it–how can he be in a bad mood when it’s SUCH a beautiful day? They have lots of suggestions for how to make him feel better. But Jim can’t take all the advice…and has a BIT of a meltdown. Could it be that he just needs a day to feel grumpy?”
This book is all about those days when you’re just feeling grumpy, and that’s ok. It’s a book to help teach students that no feeling is a “bad” feeling and that sometimes we just have those grumpy days.
We’re All Wonders
“Auggie Pullman is an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. This story shows readers what it’s like to live in Auggie’s world—a world in which he feels like any other kid, but he’s not always seen that way. It taps into every child’s longing to belong, and to be seen for who they truly are.”
We’re All Wonders is a simple picture book that opens up conversations with your students about how each person is unique and different and how we can celebrate those differences.
Social Emotional Learning Books on Basic Emotions ✨:
The Color Monster
“One day, Color Monster wakes up feeling very confused. His emotions are all over the place; he feels angry, happy, calm, sad, and scared all at once! To help him, a little girl shows him what each feeling means through color. As this adorable monster learns to sort and define his mixed up emotions, he gains self-awareness and peace as a result.”
An important lesson we want to teach our young kindergarten students is that you can feel many different emotions all at the same time. This book is a great way to show students not only how to identify what they’re feeling, but also a healthy way to express that feeling.
Hands are Not for Hitting
“It’s never too soon for children to learn that violence is never okay, hands can do many good things, and everyone is capable of positive, loving actions.”
For those students who struggle to keep their hands to themselves or who struggle with hitting others, this is the book for them. It shares all the healthy ways to use our hands, such as drawing, playing, and building and that hands are NOT for hitting. It also shares how it makes others feel when we hit them and helps to teach empathy.
I Like Myself
“Here’s a little girl who knows what really matters. At once silly and serious, this ode to self-esteem encourages kids to appreciate everything about themselves—inside and out. Messy hair? Beaver breath? So what!”
This is a darling little story on loving yourself no matter what. It will be sure to give your students a good laugh, but also open up some great conversations about liking yourself regardless of what others may think or say, because each one of us is unique and special.
Llama Llama Time to Share
“Llama Llama has new neighbors! Nelly Gnu and her mama stop by for a play date, but Llama’s not so sure it’s time to share all his toys.”
For those students that need some extra encouragement to share, this is a great read. Especially when it’s a toy that really matters to them, this book shows why it’s important to share and how sharing that toy can make the experience even more special.
The Crayon Box that Talked
“While walking through a toy store, the day before today, I overheard a crayon box with many things to say…” This shares a simple message that when we all work together, the results are much more interesting and colorful.”
This is a lovely story that helps teach classroom community and diversity and that each and every student has value and something special to contribute.
What if Everybody Did That?
“If you drop just one soda can out the window, it’s no big deal…right? But what if everybody did that? What if everybody broke the rules…and spoke during story time, didn’t wash up, or splashed too much at the pool? Then the world would be a mess. But what if everybody obeyed the rules so that the world would become a better place?”
This story can open up some great conversations about the “why” behind the rules (including classroom rules) and why it’s important that everyone follows the rules.
Social Emotional Learning Books on Basic Emotions ✨:
Glad Monster Sad Monster:
“Glad, sad, silly, mad – monsters have all kinds of different feelings! You’ll walk through the wide range of moods all little monsters (and kids!) experience.”
Another great book to explore the basic emotions and certain events that can trigger those emotions.
Final Thoughts 15 Of the Best Social Emotional Learning Books
And there you have it! 15 of the best social emotional learning picture books. These books are a great way to teach your kiddos important skills like empathy, kindness, and resilience, while also encouraging a love for reading. From animals and monsters to relatable and funny stories, there’s something for everyone on this list. Happy reading!
Want more ideas on how to teaching
feelings to students?
Looking for ways to include more social emotional learning in your classroom? Check out my post “What is Social Emotional Learning: Why it Matters“
