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Jan. - Feb. 2018
Talking to Children:
Feelings and Emotions
Children aren’t born knowing how to verbally express their
feelings or needs. As babies they rely on adults to interpret
their cries. As they grow older children learn words to
communicate their basic needs for food, water, and warmth,
but not their feelings.
Most young children know and understand the basic emotion
words mad, happy, and sad, but struggle to find words to
understand and express other feelings (see chart at left).
Children feel confused and frightened by their emotions, and
can be frustrated at not being able to communicate their
feelings with the adults in their lives. Their frustration and
anxiety leads to feeling overwhelmed, which leads to a
meltdown or acting out.
As the adults who love and care for many children, how can
we help them recognize, understand, and express their big
emotions? By reading and discussing books about emotions
during calm time! Reading stories that show children
experiencing various emotions allows kids to talk about their
own feelings without feeling at risk. It also helps them build
their emotions vocabulary, allowing them to communicate their
needs before they get overwhelmed.
The Way I Feel
By Janen Cain
Lots of Feelings By Shelley Rotner
When I Feel Scared
By Cornelia Maude Spelman
On Monday When It Rained
By Cherryl Kachenmeister
The Feelings Book
By Todd Parr
Calm-Down Time
By Elizabeth Verdick
My Many Colored Days
By Dr. Seuss
Enjoy these books with your
children to help them learn about
and discuss their emotions.
SUCCEEDFINGERPLAYS & MUSIC:
Great Winter Books to Share
Time to Sleep
by Denise Fleming
The Gingerbread Man
by Catherine McCaffrey
Five Little Gingerbread Men – Fingerplay
Five little gingerbread men lying on a tray.
(Hold up all five fingers of one hand.)
One sat up and ran away!
(Wiggle one finger and move it
around in front of you.)
Yelling, “Run! Run! Run! As fast as you can!
You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”
(Tuck that finger down, and count the
remaining fingers left up.
Continue repeating the rhyme with the
next four fingers, counting down as you go.
End with: )
No little gingerbread men lying on a tray.
They all got up and ran away.
They ran, ran, ran as fast as can be.
Those gingerbread men were too quick for me!
Five Little Gingerbread Men – Movement
Teach the children the fingerplay rhyme, but
invite them to pretend to be the gingerbread
men. Encourage them to say the lines with you,
“Run! Run! As fast as you can! You can’t catch
me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”
Before you begin, be sure to decide where
the gingerbread kids should run – possibly
around the circle of sitting children, like in
Duck, Duck, Goose!
Ten on the Sled
by Kim Norman
1 2 3 4 5
Tracks in the Snow
By Wong Herbert Yee
Over and Under the Snow
by Ken Messner
The Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats
Bear Snores On
By Karma Wilson
Make Room for Imagination!
Remember building forts using chairs, couch cushions,
pillows, and blankets? Help your kids build their own
special place in the classroom. As the seasons change from
fall to winter, transform a part of your room into a cave or
“lair” – perfect for your little bears to enjoy. Get some old
boxes and tape them together, then drape sheets or lengths of
fabric across the top. Children will be on their BEST
behavior in order to earn a chance to play inside. This is
perfect for imaginative play, acting out a favorite story (like
Bear Snores On or The Mitten), or an extra special spot for
friends to read together. Create and enjoy!
Hello, Teachers ~
Let me introduce myself: I’m Sheila Oliveri, the Literacy and Curriculum Coordinator at Ready Readers. I write the
curriculum and discussion ideas that accompany the six Gift Books you and the children receive throughout the year. I was
a preschool teacher for 20+ years, working at COCA (18 years), Washington University Nursery School (9 years), and
more. I began at Ready Readers four years ago as a volunteer Reader in classrooms. I’m so happy to be working for Ready
Readers full-time now.
My job with Ready Readers is to serve YOU – the teachers! I am available to work with you and the rest of your school
staff providing Missouri state-approved clock-hour workshops. I’m also happy to brainstorm with you about art,
science, and math activities, books, themes, outdoor play, and more. Please consider me a FREE and willing resource
for all things kid-related! Working with you will keep me connected to children and teaching, so I’m hoping to get to
know you – what is happening in your classrooms, what types of activities you and your children enjoy doing, and what
you feel you would like help with. I truly value the opportunity to learn about you and the work you’re doing every day
with kids!
I’d LOVE for you to share what works in your classroom with other teachers using our program. Please send me stories
and photos of learning experiences happening in your classroom. I will include them in my next newsletter so that
other teachers and children may benefit from your experiences. The more we share with each other, the better the
benefit to our kids and our community! #BetterTogether #KidsWhoReadSucceed!
The Mitten
By Jan Brett
I’d LOVE to hear from YOU! Please share your stories,
teaching ideas, and photos of your class enjoying learning and
books! I’ll post your thoughts and pictures in the next Teacher
Newsletter.
Together we can make teaching and learning more fun! Contact me: sheila@readyreaders.org
Bear Snores On
is a favorite book with preschoolers across the country!
Enjoy using these story cards to encourage your children to get involved in
remembering and repeating the story. Cut them out and laminate them individually to use in a few
different ways, including:
Attach each card to a popsicle stick. Let children choose which part of the story they will represent, standing up front of the group as their turn comes around in the story.
Attach a small magnet to the back of each laminated photo. Use a cookie sheet from the
dollar store to let the children attach the photos in the order of their appearance in the
story. This is an easy, good-sized alternative to making and using a large flannel board!
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