Books That Teach Social-Emotional Skills

To truly help our students succeed, we must acknowledge the socio-emotional aspects of learning. This post shares different books that teach social-emotional skills that can be used for inside and outside of the classroom.

Each book recommended here is one I’ve personally used to support students as they build important life skills like self-awareness, empathy, and responsible decision-making.

PLUS, I’ve included links to bonus social-emotional tips and resources below!

*This post contains affiliate links to Amazon for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which do not cost any extra for you. Please see the full disclosure here.*

What Books Teach Social-Emotional Skills Effectively?

I still remember the moment I was reminded just how important social-emotional learning really is.

Sometimes, big emotions show up in big ways. A student may lash out, shut down, run away, or completely lose control in a moment of frustration, fear, or overwhelm. As teachers, those moments can leave us feeling helpless, concerned, and unsure of what to do next.

That’s exactly why teaching social-emotional skills matters so much. When we intentionally help students learn how to manage emotions, communicate needs, and respond to challenges, we give them tools that can truly change their school experience.

And the good news is that books can be one of the simplest and most powerful ways to start those conversations. 💛

Children’s Books for Social-Emotional Development

I’ve included links to each picture book below that will help you teach social-emotional skills in your class. The links make it easier for you to access the book. These are affiliate links, but it doesn’t cost you anything to use them.

If you need tips on how to easily afford books for your classroom library, my vlog YouTube video here walks you through the process I used.

Books That Teach Social-Emotional Skills:

 
Julia Cook writes amazing stories that go right to the heart of this issue. My Mouth is a Volcano teaches kids about blurting out and interrupting others. This book is great for ALL kids across grade levels.

My Mouth is a Volcano is one of the books from my Read Aloud with Rigor Series. Click the image here for more details.

A chatty class can make it hard to get through lessons, hold meaningful discussions, and help quieter students feel heard. That’s why this read-aloud works so well. It gives teachers a simple, relatable way to start conversations about self-control, respectful listening, and knowing when it is the right time to speak.

What I love most about this book is that it does not shame students for being talkative. Instead, it helps them see how blurting affects others and gives them a better way to handle those thoughts and words. For teachers, that makes it a helpful tool for building a classroom community where everyone gets a chance to speak and everyone gets a chance to be heard. 💛

Pin this post to your favorite Pinterest board to enjoy later! ⬇️

 

This is the first Bryan Smith book I read and I instantly fell in love with it! His books are very direct, but they present topics in a way that kids can relate to. My Day Is Ruined: A Story for Teaching Flexible Thinking can be used for growth-mindset teaching and how to cope with adversity.

The next three social-emotional read-alouds are also by Bryan Smith. This book is especially helpful for students who struggle when things do not go as planned. It opens the door to meaningful conversations about how to handle frustration, disappointment, and unexpected challenges.

It’s a great choice for teaching:

• flexible thinking
  
  
• coping with adversity
  
  
• emotional regulation
  
  
• growth mindset

I also like using this book to remind students that one hard moment does not have to ruin the entire day. That is such an important lesson for both the classroom and real life. 💛

  Of Course, It’s a Big Deal! : A Story about Learning to React Calmly and Appropriately by Bryan Smith

 What Were You Thinking? A Story about Learning to Control Your Impulses by Bryan Smith

This book about impulse control became especially helpful when my son had his “incident” of running out of the school screaming and crying.

Once we read it together, he calmly explained to me ways that he could have handled that situation differently.

 
If Winning Isn’t Everything, Why Do I Hate To Lose? by Bryan Smith

 I Can Handle It (Mindful Mantras Book 1)  contains affirmations that kids can put into practical use when they are struggling with a social setting or an emotional dilemma.

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My favorite thing about this book is that it is FREE with the Amazon Kindle Unlimited Program. As I always mention in my posts about read-alouds, Kindle Unlimited has saved me SO MUCH money on books.

To find out how click here! 

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Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller stays in steady rotation throughout the school year for me. I also use it with the Golden Rule as a part of my classroom management system.

Related Post: How I Use the Golden Rule for Classroom Management

 

With so much emphasis on being kind, children can confuse their other legitimate emotions as being far worse than they are.

Students need to understand that we are all striving to be nice, but being mad or sad doesn’t make you a failure or a bad person!

Mad Isn’t Bad: A Children’s Book About Anger by Mundy Michaelene does a great job helping you teach that concept.

Social-Emotional Learning Books for Teachers and Parents

Understanding brain development in children AND effective pedagogy really helped me with this topic.

I learned practical ways to help my students socialize appropriately and manage their emotions well with these social-emotional learning books for teachers listed below.

Jim Fay and David Funk’s approach to classroom management continues to be controversial, but I have followed their strategies and ideas for YEARS! Plus, you know from my bio that I’ve taught different grade levels. Their principals in Teaching with Love and Logic have worked with me in each grade I’ve taught!

Their companion guide: Parenting with Love and Logic is a great read also!

 
Anything that gives practical ideas–not just philosophy–is a winner in my book! That’s why I recommend 20 Ways to Implement Social-Emotional Learning in Your Classroom by Ka’Ren Minasian. 

I could write an entire blog post alone about this book!

Children who need social-emotional skill training usually thrive in a structured environment.

That’s why I am always sharing classroom organization and management tips throughout this site.

One of the best ways to achieve this is to directly teach procedures. Harry Wong’s First Days of School gives the best blueprint to help teachers with that!

How Do I Begin to Teach Social-Emotional Learning in My Class?

1- Decide What Your Students Need the Most Right Now

You cannot teach every skill all at once.

If you have more students struggling with blurting out and impulse control: then start there.

Or maybe you see an ongoing issue with poor sportsmanship during game-based learning, then focus your attention there.

Teaching social-emotional skills require you as the teacher (or homeschooling parent) to also be emotionally healthy! Don’t stress yourself out trying to do too much.

2- Infuse Social-Emotional Learning into Your Academic Content

Unless you work in a district or school that holds school all year long, then you only have 180 days with your students in the class.

Set a goal to “feed two birds with one seed!”

For example, I taught writing skills with social-emotional skills so that I could give my students practice with both! They were engaged with a topic that would help build character and establish classroom community, but they were also getting the necessary writing practice that they needed.

3-Don’t Be Too Proud to Beg!

Ok, you don’t have to beg! But it really is perfectly ok to ask for help. If your school has a guidance counselor, see what resources or mini-lessons he or she can pitch in. Form a plan of action with parent volunteers.

My co-teacher and I worked together to implement The Recovery Desk system from Teaching with Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk.

She and I kept a desk in the back of both our classes and we allowed students who needed it to go there and calm down. It wasn’t a punishment or time-out. Many of our 4th graders used it to “get themselves together” and it worked beautifully.

4- Model Appropriate Social-Emotional Skills for Your Students

Strategies like The Recovery Desk that I just mentioned, were able to last in my classroom because I worked hard to remove the stigma that something was “wrong” with you if you couldn’t control your emotions.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that students need to know emotional struggles do not make them “bad” or “broken.” We learn more about this through mindfulness books and strategies in class.

Many kiddos already feel embarrassed when they have a hard moment, especially if they think everyone is watching them. That’s why it is so important to build a classroom culture where emotions are handled with compassion, support, and dignity.

Although those moments can feel heavy, they can also become powerful learning opportunities. They remind us that students need to see that grown-ups use social-emotional strategies too.

So I model that for them by doing yoga during some of our class brain breaks.

You don’t have to do a full, detailed lesson every single day modeling these skills for them. Consistent glimpses of your techniques are sufficient to help students learn social-emotional strategies that will work for them!

Do you have a favorite book or strategy that you use to teach social-emotional skills in your classroom?

If so, I am always on the hunt for more tools to add to my teacher toolbelt on this topic. Please be sure to share your goodies below!

Social-Emotional Tips for Teachers & Parents

Our 2020-2021 school year will look totally different for obvious reasons! However, one thing remains–the importance of social-emotional teaching, even through distance learning.

The million-dollar question is “how can we connect socially and emotionally with students while teaching during a pandemic?”

Each post shared below helps answer that question:

• 25 Ways to Build Classroom Community Online
  
• Social-Emotional Distance Learning Ideas for Teachers & Parents
  
• 15 Ways Teachers Encourage Racism in the Classroom
  
• Effective Ways to Partner with Parents for Smooth Distance Learning
  

Thanks for transforming learning with me, teacher friend!