Let’s face it – sometimes toddlers can be emotional – just like the rest of us! It’s important to teach them what their different emotions are and that it is ok to be emotional. That way they can be emotional and then self soothe themselves to move past their emotions and on with life.
What is self soothing?
Self soothing is a technique used to calm oneself from emotional distress. It involves resetting your emotional state after an acute stress event without the intervention of others. For example – if you are a toddler and have been told that you can’t have any more ice cream – that can be very stressful and it can be hard to reset yourself and your emotions.
We believe a first step in self soothing is to understand the different emotions and feelings – these books do a great job of describing the various emotional states that we face everyday!
No!
By Tracey Corderoy, this board book follows Otto as he learns the word “No” and introduces it into his vocabulary. It goes through how using the word can turn into a crutch which hinders development and causes Otto to be excluded and have negative energy. Otto learns to use the word appropriately and jumps back into the fun!
Mood: Saying no to everything
The Pout-Pout Fish
A New York Times Best Seller, this is the first in the Pout-Pout Fish series. This board book follows the pout-pout fish as he gloomily goes about his life in the sea, seemingly destined to be glum. Until something comes along to make him smile! This is a great board book to teach toddlers that something positive is always just around the corner!
Mood: Pouty
The Okay Book
The Okay Book by Todd Parr is about reassuring toddlers about any insecurities that they may have. It’s ok to be tall or short, it’s ok to cry or to laugh out loud. This board book does a great job at showing that things that make us different are more than ok!
Mood: Anxious
The Big Scream
This is a great book for teaching a toddler self soothe techniques. Self soothing isn’t about bottling things up – sometimes its important to just SCREAM! Let it all out, take a time out, count to ten and be refreshed.
Mood: Angry
Be Brave Little One
This book is as much for parents as it is for children. It encourages little ones to be brave in everything they do – to sit down and say hello, to go home and sit on the couch, to mess up and try again – the message is to be take actionable steps to live a purposeful life. We love the illustrations in this book.
Mood: Bold
The I’m Not Scared Book
Another New York Times Best Seller by Todd Parr – this one walks through the things that scare us and how once we face them – they arent that scary. From going on an airplane to going to the grocery store, managing past our fears can bring great joy and experiences.
Mood: Scared
Bunny with a Big Heart
This sparkly tale by Zoe Waring follows an anxious bunny going through her life in the forest as she gets ready for the Spring Fair. Through the help of her mother, the bunny overcomes her anxiety and helps all of those around her. When the Spring Fair comes – her hard work pays off and her good deeds are paid forward.
Mood: Uplifting
It’s Okay to Be Different
Our final Todd Parr entry on the list – this title messages that everyone is different: people like different things (Macaroni in the tub!), people’s bodies are different, and people act differently – and that is all ok! And moreover – that is what makes people special
Mood: Accepting
We hope you enjoy some of these books for toddlers about feelings. As always -we recommend repetition with toddler books. Hopefully these books can help your toddler better handle their emotions and feelings.
If you enjoyed this – check out some of our other toddler reading recommendations:
