Young children sometimes find it challenging to identify how they’re feeling and how to express them. Children’s books about feelings are an excellent way to teach them to identify and manage their feelings. According to research, teaching children to identify and express their emotions in a positive and healthy way helps them create a strong foundation for success later in life. This is because assisting young children in developing the ability to identify, discuss, and control their feelings leads to higher levels of confidence and self-esteem, which helps them build an optimistic mindset. Here are four great books that’ll teach your child(ren) about their feelings and kick start conversations to help them understand these feelings.

How Do You Feel? – Lizzy Rockwell (Ages 0-3)
The playground is full of a lot of emotions. This nonfiction board book introduces toddlers to the feelings they may meet on the playground. With simple, sparse language and bright, expressive illustrations, the author teaches toddlers to identify feelings in themselves and others. The detailed illustrations encourage children to discuss and identify the emotional reaction of various characters in the book. It also serves as a starting point for discussions about emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and coping skills.

My Little Box of Emotions: Little guides for all my emotions – DK Children (Ages 3-5)
This board book series teaches children how to recognize their emotions. Each book in this series features a fun character that illustrates a specific feeling. The characters’ happiness, anger, sadness, and pride help your child discover simple answers to challenging questions concerning feelings. This lovely picture book collection will aid your child’s language development, vocabulary expansion, and emotional expression.

Where Happiness Begins – Eva Eland (Ages 3-7)
This excellent picture book serves as a perfect introduction to mindfulness and emotional literacy. This book pairs with “When Sadness Knocks at Your Door.” These two books help children learn that simple actions can lead to happiness even when it’s challenging to find. The book makes happiness feel more tangible instead of a fleeting feeling that comes and goes as time goes by.

The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon – Matthew Burgess (Ages 4-8)
The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon is an excellent choice for parents or kids having a not-so-good day. The author uses playful language and subtle rhymes to cheer your child up when they’re grumpy. This lovely read-aloud is about a young girl trying to get her brother out of his bad mood. The fun story allows readers to start a conversation on how to deal with a bad-tempered person.