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.