Children’s Books That Teach Emotional Intelligence

Children develop social and emotional intelligence through observing situations and picking up on social cues —hey can also learn by reading children’s books that teach emotional intelligence. Books provide an opportunity for teaching a broad range of subjects, including awareness of one’s emotions. Let’s dive into some teaching opportunities and why emotional intelligence is vital to our children’s growth and development. 

What Is Emotional Intelligence? 

Teaching children how to understand and build their emotional intelligence is so important for working through life’s hardships and stress management.

Emotional intelligence is an essential trait that allows you to comprehend and regulate your emotions and behaviors. It is the ability to be self-aware and react appropriately to your feelings.

Without emotional intelligence, it can be challenging to decipher how you should respond to your surroundings, especially as a child. How our parents or guardians raise us depicts our attachment style and affects how we handle our emotions throughout adulthood. 

Ensure that you discuss the books with your children or have them discuss them with other students so that they can make real-world connections. Ask them what they think the story’s point was and if they can identify with any of the characters in the story. Let’s explore some children’s books that teach emotional intelligence.

Read These Four Children’s Books That Teach Emotional Intelligence

Books provide many avenues of teaching opportunities and awareness of potential situations to our children’s attention. They can also be excellent tools in beginning difficult conversations with your child. Here are some books you can use to teach your child emotional intelligence. 

1. The Rough Patch 

“The Rough Patch” is an excellent book that discusses grief, loss and hope. This story can significantly benefit children who lose a friend, pet or loved one. The protagonist’s process when dealing with the loss of his best friend and dog can help children identify and manage their challenging emotions. “The Rough Patch” is an inspiring tale of a fox who deals with loss and finds hope and healing power in nature and friendship. 

2. Ten Beautiful Things

“Ten Beautiful Things” is a story about love, loss and finding the beauty in things to keep propelling us to push forward. Teaching children how to look on the bright side of life and focus on the positives when everything feels negative is essential to their outlook and perspective on life. This heartfelt story is excellent for children trying to deal with any significant change in their life. 

3. Grumpy Monkey

The best-selling series “Grumpy Monkey” teaches kids about their feelings and helps them identify confusing and transitional feelings. “Grumpy Monkey” is a picture book, so it is more for younger children, but all ages can benefit from this series. This excellent book can teach kids that their emotions are valid, no matter what they might be experiencing. 

4. What Should Danny Do?

“What Should Danny Do?” is another fantastic series of books that helps children build their emotional intelligence. These books help kids understand how their choices affect their daily lives. This series has different storylines that follow Danny, a superhero in training and the daily options that kids likely face. This series is an outstanding example of empowering children to make better choices and how natural consequences occur. 

Understanding Emotions Through Books

Children’s books that teach emotional intelligence are an excellent resource for children to navigate life’s obstacles and the feelings that come along with them. Don’t forget that reading is fun and that teaching moments can flow naturally and impact students more.