MSU Extension Child & Family Development

Before Reading:

• Show your child the front of the book and encourage them to explore it. They may want to hold it, turn the pages, or even taste it!
• Point to the cover picture and ask your child what they think the girl is feeling.

While Reading:

• Stop if there is something you or your child would like to talk about.
• Ask questions so they can connect what is happening in the book to things they already know about. Try some of these ideas:
  • What do you think he/she is feeling? o Validate the emotions of the characters in the story: “She is trying so hard to tie her shoe and it just won’t work. She is so frustrated!”
• Ask your child to point out what they see. Name and identify the pictures.
  • Look at that red truck!
  • Tell me about what she is doing.

After Reading:

• Spend some time talking about the story. Help your child understand some of the emotions in the books, like anger Ask: o
  • How are you feeling?
  • What does it look like when you are angry? What does your face look like? What does your body look like? (Repeat using new emotions like excited, scared or happy).
  • Help teach your child ways to deal with tough emotions like anger. Reassure them that all emotions are ok to feel, and teach them way to behave in appropriate ways.

Read this book several times to the children. Hearing the same story again and again helps them learn new words and understand the ideas they hear better. Each day, pick a different activity to do with the children after reading “The Way I Feel.”