If you follow me on YouTube, you know that I’ve been sharing some of my favorite pictures books to support various areas of social-emotional learning. My belief in the power of picture books in the classroom, ANY classroom, rivals my belief in trauma-informed practices in schools. We don’t spend enough time reading aloud to students anymore or encouraging them to read for pleasure because time is not something we have in excess in classrooms these days. Unfortunately, most of us also don’t have the time to teach explicit social-emotional learning lessons to our students which is a shame because these skills are JUST AS CRITICAL as the reading and math skills we teach.
As educators, we have to get creative in sharing real literature with our students (especially if you have a reading curriculum that doesn’t value really excellent children’s literature). How do we do that? We embed as many awesome picture books, graphic novels and young adult literature into the instruction we already provide. Morning meeting, quiet time after recess, restroom breaks and before dismissal are all times that we can sneak in a great book and conversation. Read a book and use it as a springboard for a conversation on a specific SEL topic such as kindness, friendship or acceptance. Or use the books you already have to use for your reading and writing blocks. Just be sure to sprinkle in a question or thought, here and there, that align to an area of social-emotional learning.
Don’t think your middle or high schoolers will dig reading a picture book? Give it a try. I dare you. The older kids are often the ones that enjoy reading a picture book EVEN MORE than the younger ones. I speak from experience, I promise! If that feels out of your comfort zone, though, try a graphic novel or other young adult book. There is so much hidden wisdom in all types of children’s and young adult books.
Wondering where to start? Already on board but need more book ideas? Well, have I got a big surprise for you!It just so happens that I started a Google Doc of social-emotional learning picture books many moons ago that has morphed into a very large, curated list of books that is organized into 11 key areas of social-emotional learning. Those areas are:
- Growth Mindset
- Acceptance & Diversity
- Self-Esteem
- Friendship
- Conflict Resolution
- Social Problem Solving
- Feelings & Emotions
- Coping Skills
- Self-Control
- Bullying Prevention
- Kindness
There’s even a couple of bonus sections!
Here’s the best part…I add to this list ALL THE TIME! So head on over to this link and bookmark the page. Since it’s a Google Doc, it will always be there. Once you have it bookmarked, you can refer back to it at any time and check out any new books I’ve added.
Have a book idea that’s not on the list? Email me at akedconsult@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!
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