Discovering the Heart of Emotional Literacy through Books

Susan Ramsay | Feb 27, 2013

Sadie, a bubbly, energetic two-year-old, stood solidly in front of Jasmine studying Jasmine’s face. Just moments ago, Sadie had shoved petite, three-year old-Jasmine hard, causing Jasmine to land with shock and dismay though no bumps or bruises. The adult who saw it happened rushed to the scene. “We don’t push people. You hurt Jasmine’s feelings. You need to say you’re sorry or give her a hug.”

Sadie did neither. She seemed confused or perhaps curious about the fuss. Jasmine’s sobbing began to subside until, with the suddenness of a tornado, Sadie threw her arms around Jasmine in a vice grip bear hug. Jasmine screamed. Sadie tightened her squeeze.

Sadie is a typical two-year-old who is trying to figure out how to share, take turns, and understand feelings. It isn’t easy to get it right, and most of us spend our lifetimes developing and refining our abilities to be sensitive, empathetic and self-aware. Sadie is developing emotional literacy skills.

Children with high emotional literacy skills recognize and understand emotions in themselves and others. They know how to handle and express their emotions appropriately. Strong emotional literacy skills are extremely valuable to children’s readiness to learn at school. It’s a skill that develops gradually from birth when adults in children’s lives are intentional about helping children label their feelings, recognize that others feel emotions too, and think through helpful and hurtful actions and reactions to others.

Children’s picture books are extraordinary tools for helping children learn the vocabulary they need to label emotions. The pictures show facial expressions and body language that allow adults to talk about feelings when children aren’t in the middle of a melt-down or excitable situation.

At first children understand emotions broadly. Happy, sad and mad are some of the words children learn early on. As children grow older, though, they discover that more precise words help them understand, express, and control their emotions better. Happy, for example, might be more accurately described as excited or content; sad as lonely or worried; mad as frustrated or jealous.

Books give children the chance to see that story characters feel emotions too. Pause during book sharing times to ask children if they have ever felt what the story characters feel. Do they remember a family member or friend feeling the same way?

Stories often show how the actions of book characters affect others in the story. Talking about, not just reading about, the choices characters make is important. Asking children to think and talk about why the characters feel certain emotions and what might have happened if the characters had made other choices prompt children to think for themselves. It helps them develop strong emotional literacy skills.

There are thousands of books that are excellent for supporting children’s growth in emotional literacy. Below is a small sampling of books your child might enjoy. Your librarian or book seller will have suggestions for other great book selections too.

“Baby Faces” by Margaret Miller

“Happy Hippo Angry Duck” by Sandra Boynton

“The Way I Feel” by Janan Cain

Susan Ramsay is the Early Literacy Specialist for Hastings, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington. You can contact her at 613-354-6318 (ext 32)