READING MY FEELINGSBy

Diana Smith and Kathy Hill

Objectives

• Understand why including lessons in social development is important

• Show how activities correlate and support the Virginia Foundation Blocks and HighScope Key Developmental Indicators

• Identify books that support social/emotional development

• Identify activities to support these books

Benefits

• Self Awareness: Identify ones thoughts, feelings and strengths, and recognize their own rights and appreciate diversity

• Social Awareness: Identify and understand thoughts and feelings of others, respecting their rights and appreciating diversity

Brain Research

• Brain research tells us that emotion drives attention and attention drives learning

Soooo…

• To develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success you must know your emotions, how to manage them, and ways to express them constructively

• For success in school and life we need to have the ability to recognize the thoughts, feelings and perspectives of others including those different from our own

Research shows:

• Children who understand their feelings and learn to handle their emotions do better in many ways:

-they form stronger friendships with other children

-they calm themselves down more quickly when they get upset

-they do better in school

-they handle their moods better and have fewer negative emotions

-they bounce back more quickly from strong emotional events

-they get sick less often

John Gottman, Ph.d and Talaris Research Institue

SOCIAL/EMOTIONALSCOPE AND SEQUENCE

Virginia Foundation Blocks• Initiate and sustain

interactions with other children

• Demonstrate verbal strategies for making a new friend

• Interact appropriately with other children and familiar adults by cooperating, helping, sharing, and expressing interest

HIGH/SCOPEKEY DEVELOPMENTAL

INDICATORS• Building relationships

with children and adults

• Creating and experiencing collaborative play

• Being sensitive to the feelings, interests and needs of others

• Talking with others about personally meaningful experiences

Virginia Foundation Blocks

• Participate successfully in group settings

• Demonstrate respectful and polite vocabulary

• Begin to recognize and respond to the needs, rights, and emotions of others

• Begin to recognize and express own emotions using words rather than actions

Key Developmental Indicators• Participating in group

routines• Expressing feelings in

words• Dealing with social

conflict

Big Al

• This book is about a big, scary looking fish that has trouble making the friends he longs for because of his appearance.

• Make a quilt sample to include in a friendship quilt

• Graph attributes• Play a memory game using

children’s photos• Friend Songs (see attached)• ‘Everyone does not have to be

friends’

ON MONDAY WHEN IT RAINED

• In this book a young boy describes in text and photos the different emotions he feels each day

• Discuss feelings• Make a book about disappointing

things• Draw pictures of self and tell how you

feel• Make a book of children’s photos

expressing different emotions• Make puzzles from these same photos• “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

Sometimes I Feel Like A Mouse

• A child imagines becoming a variety of animals while experiencing different feelings such as a ‘howling wolf for sad,’ ‘a soaring eagle for proud,’ etc.

• This book uses a repeating pattern as well as color to express feelings

• Draw pictures “Sometimes I Feel…”• Make masks to use for retelling the

story• What makes me Happy/Sad chart• Incorporate yoga poses to represent

different animals

Hands Are Not For Hitting

• This book offers alternative actions and ideas that children can do with their hands instead of hitting

• It helps children understand why they may feel like hitting and offers ways to deal with those feelings

• HighScope’s Conflict Resolution• Sign Language• Feely Bag• Shadow Puppets• Make drums• Use hands to make music• Use hands to measure• “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”• Have a safe place to go when adults are

fighting

The Kissing Hand

• Little Raccoon doesn’t want to leave home to go to school. This book helps children deal with the anxiety of leaving their parents

Photos of parents(Parent Wall)

• Make kissing hands (heart sponges/water)

• Heart shaped snacks• Have parents tape a message to

their child• Make necklace using photo of

parent(s) and child on a handprint cutout (laminate)

• Day/Night

Pet Show

• Archie can’t find his cat for the pet show. What can he do? He struggles with his decision about what pet to enter.

• This story features characteristics including determination, perserverance, creativity, and imagination.

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• Have a pet show using stuffed animals or pictures of the children’s pets—children can tell what’s special about their pet

• Each pet receives a ribbon and the children can help choose the type of ribbon each pet receives

• Have empty jars and magnifying glasses available

• Make a pet portrait wall

• Turn the House Area into a vet’s office or pet store

• Have someone from the SPCA or the vet’s office visit the classroom or plan a field trip to the SPCA

• Adopt a classroom pet• Write a book about your class pet• Write a book about the class pet show• “Classroom Pets & Young Children”

(article)

A Letter To Amy

• Peter wants to invite a special guest to his birthday party. He thinks of a special way to send this important invitation

• Write pen pal letters once a month to another preschool class

• Make invitations for a classroom party• Plan a post office field trip• Have a mailbox or mailbag available for

Worktime (Free Choice)• Add writing materials to the Art Area• Make a birthday wish graph• Plan to read this book around

Valentine’s Day and incorporate it with Valentine’s activities

The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything

• This story reflects the character’s determination not to be afraid as well as clever problem solving.

• Read and act out with props• Talk about things your afraid of• Make a mural of things that scare

you• Sound discrimination activity/tape• Decorate gourds• Bean bag toss

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Make scarecrows

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The Doorbell Rang

• Each time the doorbell rings there are more people who have come to share Ma’s delicious cookies. Will there be enough to go around? A story about sharing limited resources.

• Make a batch of real cookies to share• Act out the story• Make playdough cookies and

decorate• Small group activity—how to divide a

limited number of cookies

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Video

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Mean Soup

Horace has had a bad day. When he getshome, he is feeling very mean, but his mother has a recipe for turning a bad day around.

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• Use a large pot for children to yell into when they are angry.

• Make “Mean Soup” (vegetable soup)• Talk about ways to help someone

feel better if they are angry or upset• Add a large pot House Area• Have a soup tasting party and graph

what your favorite soup is or a “yum-yuck” graph to show who likes/dislikes each soup.

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• Discuss other ways to express angry feelings.

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Go Away Big Green Monster

• This book helps children face their fears. It gives the children a feeling of control as they practice telling the monster to go away.

• Paint a paper plate green and make your own monster

• Make a monster snack (pizza, cupcake)• Make monsters from green playdough

—decorate and then make it disappear• Take a photo of the playdough monster

and then: “Let Me Tell You About My Monster”

• Make slime (1 part liquid starch, 2 parts glue, green food coloring)

• Song—”If You’re A Monster and You Know It”

• Go Away Big Green Monster “Make and Take”

Resources

“Book Nook.” Vanderbilt University. Web. 13 July 2011. <http://www.csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html

Foundation Blocks. www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/earlylearning/foundationblocks

HighScope Educational Research Foundation. 600 North River Street. Ypsilanti, MI (www.highscope.org)

John Gottman, Ph.d and Talaris Research Institute. Web. 7 July 2011.