feelings

Poignant Middle Grade Books About Feelings, Friendship, & Growing Up

I’m out of my reading slump — hooray! And have some books to tell you about. Books that are worth reading, sharing with your classrooms, and sharing with your kids. New Poignant Middle-Grade Books (2019) Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga REALISTIC — IMMIGRATION (in verse) Written in evocative yet readable verse, follow […]

New Picture Books that Develop Emotional Literacy

Did you know that in order to feel empathy and have intuition, we need to feel our emotions? And that while these books are really helpful, this stuff is mostly “caught not taught” meaning that as parents and caregivers, we need to be our children’s role models for feeling our feelings. (And not judge the […]

Emotional Intelligence Activities for Kids

(updated: 1/5/19) I’ve been reading aloud Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves to my 13-year-old daughter. It was a school assignment. She didn’t want to read it so we’re reading it together. Interestingly enough, it’s been really helpful. It’s helping AJ label emotions and also providing strategies to improve her emotional self-awareness and emotional self-management. In doing […]

Emotional Intelligence Activity for Kids: Pooh Sticks

As you know, we’re talking a lot about emotional intelligence and mindfulness this summer. Emotional awareness is the first step to being mindful, in order to develop emotional intelligence, or EQ. To begin, you must observe your emotions without judgement. I’ve found an emotional intelligence activity for kids that will give them a visual representation of how the emotions flow in […]

MySELF Social Emotional Learning Books

MySELF (Social Emotional Learning Foundations) books help children in PreK – 1st grade build both their early literacy skills and social and emotional intelligence skills. When children aquire and apply the skills necessary to manage emotions, set and achieve goals, resolve conflicts, feel empathy for others, and make responsible decisions, this is called social emotional learning (SEL). A […]

How to Help Your Kids Deal with the Colorado Shooting Tragedy

I can’t believe it; but I can believe it. A shooting in a crowded movie theater of children and adults. Innocents. Precious lives destroyed. I feel sadness and anger. You may not want to talk to your school-age kids about this – and because school is out, that’s a more viable option than normally. However, […]

Family Dinner Activity – Feelings Bowl

by Susan Schroeder, mother and Kimochis expert. So many of us moms work outside of the home and try hard NOT to bring our work home with us. All parents (working outside the home or not!) crave sacred, uninterrupted, quality time with our children. We want to make sure we stay connected to our kids and […]