Empathy and Expressing Feelings

Taking a walk in someone else’s shoes. Being able to observe and understand the feelings
of others and respond with care and concern.

Expressing Feelings

Being aware of different emotions, and understanding how these emotions affect
us. Using words and body language to show
others
what mood we are in and being able
display our
feelings in a healthy way.

 

Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day

Author:  Jamie Lee Curtis
Age Group: 4-8
Summary:  Follow a little girl with curly red hair through 13 different moods, beginning with silly: “Today I feel silly. / Mom says it’s the heat. I put rouge on the
cat / and gloves on my feet.” Of course, silly soon turns to grumpy and mean… to excited… to confused, and so on. Recognizing one’s own mood swings is a developmental milestone, one that some adults haven’t yet mastered! Cornell’s watercolor illustrations–wildly expressive and energetic–effectively capture the volatility of our redheaded star. Whether she is happy or mad or dancing a solo in jazz, she is always “full of pizzazz,” and this book is, too. A clever mood wheel on
the last page allows young readers to change the little girl’s expression–both her
eyes and mouth.

Feelings Series
Author:  Sarah Medina
Age Group: 5-8
Summary:  The Feelings series helps readers explore their emotions – what they are, how to recognize them and appropriate action to take when they have them. The clear text and colorful, humorous illustrations help enhance children’s understanding of their feelings and those of other people. In this series: angry, impatient, brave, lonely, shy, sad, worried, and embarrassed.

Happy, Sad, Jealous, Mad
Author:  Jo Browning-Wroe
Summary:  An integral part of being human is to experience a wide range of emotions, some of which can be uncomfortable and unpleasant. By becoming familiar with the vocabulary, and the facial and bodily expressions of those feelings, young children can become more empathetic to others and more understanding of their own emotional lives.

Hey! Listen to This: Stories to Read Aloud

Author:  Jim Trelease (New York: Penguin USA, 1992)
Summary:  This book has fifty read-aloud chapters from books like Charlotte’s Web, Ozma of Oz, Ramona the Pest, James and the Giant Peach, and Gentle Ben.

The Shy Child:
A Parent’s Guide for Overcoming and
Preventing Shyness from Infancy to Adulthood

Author:  Philip Zimbardo and Shirley L. Radl
Summary:  An outstanding resource for helping children overcome shyness before
it becomes a lifetime handicap.

Teaching Your Child the Language of Social Success
Author:  Marshall P. Duke, Stephen Nowicki Jr., and Elizabeth A. Martin
Summary:  Easy-to-use guide includes ways to help kids improve their nonverbal skills to enhance relationships with others.

Character Education: Book of Plays

Author:  Judy Truesdell Mecca
Summary:  This collection of original monologues, duets and plays encourages values such as, respect, honesty, love, responsibility, commitment, courage, patience, joyfulness, tolerance, loyalty and citizenship in a fun, uplifting, hopeful and often humorous way.

Web Resources:

VIEW   Developing Empathy in Kids

VIEW   Roots of Empathy

VIEW   5 Ways To Foster and Teach Empathy To Children