“A Little Book About Feelings” Helps Kids Understand Emotions

Emotions are universal, and universally difficult for children to recognize and describe. Research shows that helping children develop emotional literacy before kindergarten sets them up for success in life. Haven’t we all had a boss that could have used this lesson early on? We all know the importance of empathy, and at the heart of that is understanding what someone you are communicating with is feeling. This type of empathy requires recognition of complex emotions, which are often confusing and sometimes scary to little kids.

Enter acclaimed multi-media guru, The Mother Company. The Mother Company was started by a group of moms who were concerned with the quality, pace and content of most children’s media and decided to do something about it. Known primarily for its award-winning series “Ruby’s Studio: The Feelings Show,” The Mother Company has launched its first line of children’s books aimed at providing social and emotional learning for kids. As its website states: “The ABC’s and 123’s will come; the main challenge in raising a young child is how to best lay the foundation to become a good person.”

A Little Book About Feelings gives kids a simple explanation of varying emotions and what they mean. Its basic words and beautifully bright pictures will help children understand their own feelings and the feelings of others. And its first major fan is none other than celeb mom Jennifer Garner, who has written a quote in support of the book.

Parents will undoubtedly find this book helpful for children who are in deep tantrum age because it allows them to put a name to what they feel. It starts out letting kids know that everyone in the whole world has feelings: even pets! The dog sees a treat and, the book explains, its brain sends messages to the dog’s body to feel excited.

Explaining that feelings will change all day long is an ideal message for parents who have children in the tantrum phase. By telling kids that they can express feelings on their faces and bodies or use their words, it gives them control over what they do with these new feelings. So the frustration and exhaustion they may be feeling during tantrums may later change to love and excitement. Knowing it’s temporary makes it less scary and less dramatic for all involved.

A Little Book About Feelings also outlines how people react to feelings. An important concept for kids to understand, the book shows an example of a little bear mom responding to her baby bear’s crying by saying, “Oh dear! My baby is upset!” Knowing the baby bear is upset means the mommy bear can react and help solve the problem. Nobody can disagree with the message: “It feels so good when people understand us!”

Consider selling A Little Book About Feelings with the accompanying My Feelings Activity Book: A Book About Me and The Way I Feel. This tool allows children to take an investigative look into their own feelings to better understand themselves and others. Stylish illustrations and quirky fonts work well with stickers, coloring and fill-in-the-blanks for older children to use as a journal. The Mother Company also has activity booklets with sticker sheets and an assortment of tattoos –– all featuring the beloved characters from Ruby’s Studio: The Feelings Show.

The book’s message is clear: feelings are clues to help kids understand what they need and who they are. The fact that the message comes with a fuzzy bear with a huge fuzzy heart delights a child even more.

Feeling good about adding this to your retail book shelves? Visit http://shop.rubysstudio.com