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Sometimes, board books are the ones you need to make the magic happen in your classroom, office, clinic, or home. I have rounded up 10 of my absolute favorite board books for social emotional learning.
1.) I Dig Being Kind by Michele Robbins
This book could not be any sweeter. For our kids that love heavy machinery (excavators, steamrollers, tractors, etc.), this book is a real gem. It shares problems certain machines are having and how other machines are supporting with kindness and helpfulness.
2.) A is for Awesome by Eva Chen
This book is everything! It introduces iconic women who have changed the world, of course matching each letter of the alphabet. I love how it covers a wide range, from historical figures, to modern day media icons.
3.) All Kinds of People by Shelley Rotner & Sheila M. Kelly
This book highlights the different skin colors we see within families and communities. I love that it uses real photos, if you know me at all, that’s not a surprise! Research tells us that children can identify differences in races as early as 3 months. Having books that highlight the beauty in diversity is essential! #realphotosforever
4.) A is for All the Things You Are
A great book for teaching self awareness and identifying personal strengths. I like this content for introducing positive affirmations as both a proactive strategy and a coping skill!
5.) Press Here by Herve Tullet
This is such an engaging and fun book. I love that within the fun, it’s teaching direction following and flexible thinking skills. A win in my book!
6.) Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
This is definitely becoming a modern day classic. Does your kid love this book as much as mine? Not only does this sweet story help with rhyming, but focuses on friendship. The theme helps kids understand the importance of asking for and accepting help, and the power of community. It’s the board book for social emotional learning that you need on your shelf.
7.) Lots of Feelings by Shelley Rotner
Emotional intelligence and emotion identification comes with practice. I love how this book uses real photos to highlight and share a wide variety of feelings! Again… real pictures make it so concrete.
8.) Little Monkey Calms Down by Michael Dahl
Let’s normalize big feelings with books like this one! This one helps children get a concrete example of what it looks like to calm down, which can help make it less overwhelming for little bodies.
9.) The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
This bright and colorful book helps reinforce emotion words and facial expressions. I like using this book to have students make connections to each page, and even use a mirror to show the same expression. This one of my favorite board books for social emotional learning!
10.) Listen Like an Elephant by Kira Willey
I love how this book prioritizes listening as a mindfulness tool. It’s such a simple and meaningful way to tap into this skill at a young age. This is part of a series of board books that focus on mindfulness for children.
