Storytime: Feelings

Oh FEELINGS. What preschooler isn't familiar with feelings? Hungry, sad, happy, surprised, sleepy- their feelings run the gamut daily. Let's talk about it! I like this theme quite a bit because it encompasses almost any picture book if you talk about the feelings of the characters.

For an opening song, "Oh hey, oh hi, hello" by Jim Gill works well; the kids get to pretend to feel sad and mad among other affectations. You might also "Shake your Sillies out" with Raffi; kids love feeling silly!

Opening questions for discussion:
-What feelings do you have?
-What is your favorite feeling? (One boy yelled out "SLEEPY!" Okay, sure.)

Here are the feeling-laden books we read today: 

Grumpy Gloria by Anna Dewdney

Fun rhymes and grumpy times with a cantankerous pup. I like asking the kids whether they think Gloria is still grumpy or not throughout the book... spoiler alert: there's a happy ending for our grumpy friend.

 Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley

Opening question: ¨Does anyone feel scared sometimes?¨ This book is about feeling scared and about being brave.

If You're Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera

My favorite feeling of all! End on a happy note with this great rendition of the popular song. You'll need the kids to stand up and help you read/sing the book.

Hug Machine by Scott Campbell

We did not have time for this one today, but how cute is this book? This is a great way to talk about ways to make people feel better and would be a good book to end on.

I also love Betty Goes Bananas by Steve Antony.

Game: Name that feeling!

I made these simple feltboard faces to illustrate different feelings. I revealed them one at a time and asked, "Can anyone guess what feeling this is?" and "¨Can you make a happy/sad/silly/surprised face?" I did not have time to make hair for them, so they all look like bald men for now. Please pardon the dog legs in the photo, my pup did not feel like moving.

Make it - Take it craft: Happy totes
Our library had an excess of white cloth reusable library tote bags perfect for drawing on with markers. I gave each child a bag to take home and told them to draw something that made them feel happy on the bag. If they were too young for drawing, I encouraged them to use their favorite colors. 

Words about feelings from Fred Rogers: “As a caregiver, you’ll know that a child can be happy, sad, angry and excited all in the space of a day. As children grow, they learn that other people have these same feelings, too, and it helps when we can tell them about our feelings. Talking about feelings has a way of making those feelings more acceptable, and children need to know that having a wide range of feelings is part of being human. But adults also need to tell children what they do with those feelings- particularly with strong ones like sadness and anger. When we talk about letting those feelings out in acceptable ways, we can help children learn that all feelings are not only mentionable but manageable, too.” -- Mister Rogers' Plan and Play Book