I wonder how they feel? Using stories to talk about emotions

Stories can be a brilliant way to help your child think about emotions. Sharing a story can be a starting point for chatting about how the characters in the story are feeling and why.  

Here are five stories you could share with your child which will support a chat about emotions.  

Owl Babies – by Martin Waddell

In Owl Babies, the baby owls, Sarah, Percy and Bill are waiting for their owl mother to come back. The story repeats and as you read your child might notice that the owl babies are starting to worry. You could chat about why they might feel a bit worried – this might be a feeling your child recognises themselves.  

Then when their owl mother returns, you could see if your child can think about how the owls might feel. This is a simple story with repeated phrases, and you might find your child enjoys joining in saying parts of the story as it becomes more familiar to them.  

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus – by Mo Willems 

The bus driver needs your help: he has to go for a little while and it's your job to make sure the pigeon doesn’t drive the bus.  

In this book, the pigeon tries different ways to persuade your child to let them drive the bus. Your child might relate to the pigeon’s disappointment when stopped from driving it and his attempts to persuade your child to change their mind.  

This story helps your child to think about different perspectives and puts them in the position of needing to enforce a boundary. This could be a good starting point for a chat about why sometimes we cannot do the things we want. 

Anna Hibiscus' Song – by Atinuke

Anna Hibiscus feels so happy she doesn't know what to do. She asks her family what they think she should do and finds out what other people do when they feel happy. As she talks to her family, her happiness grows until there is only one thing left to do ...sing! 

You could share this story with your child and chat about what makes them and you feel happy, or what you like to do when you are happy.  

The Rabbit Listened – by Cori Doerrfeld

Taylor decided to build something amazing. Taylor was so proud of the finished model, but then the birds flew past, and the model fell down.  

The animals come past one by one and made suggestions that might help Taylor feel better. The animals gave up and left Taylor until the rabbit came and moved closer, waited and then listened until Taylor was ready to build again. This is a lovely story that could help your child (and you) to think about what helps when someone is feeling sad or angry.  

Joy – by Yasmeen Ismail

This story captures the joy of playing with a favourite toy and has a simple, rhythmic, and rhyming text which might help your child to listen. Despite a few mishaps along the way, the kitten continues to bounce along and enjoy playing.  

Sometimes, it takes a little while to bounce back when we are upset or disappointed. This book might help you to chat with your child about how sometimes when you are enjoying what you are doing, an obstacle along the way won’t stop you for very long.  

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