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Grades Pre-K-2

Navigating Feelings: First & Second Grade

August 1, 2020 | Navigating Feelings

First and second graders often have clear physical boundaries between the activities in their lives…

Between playground and school, school and home, bedtime and bathtime, we leave one space and the new environment cues us to the next activity that we are gearing up for mentally and physically. But now, those boundaries are blurred in so many ways…

My teacher is on a computer in my bedroom? She met my cat on Zoom? I have to do my reading group at my own kitchen table? Some of it is fun, some of it is weird, and some of it is just plain uncomfortable. Parents have had to adjust as well… Oh dear, my boss just saw my messy dining room!

This is good conversation to have as you talk about the feelings that bubble up to the surface. Sometimes we feel inadequate, or shy, or tentative when those boundaries blur. Is it OK? Can we recognize it, laugh a little, and carry on as best we can? When parents model this, it helps little ones too.

Below you’ll find books and activities that are appropriate for 1st and 2nd Graders around the concept of “Navigating Feelings.”

GREAT BOOKS & CONVOS

After the Fall – How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again

Matthew Burgess


Why We LOVE This Book

Life has its share of hard knocks, and Humpty Dumpty’s famous fall illustrates how his character goes from feeling defeated to empowered. We can all relate when we see the illustration of Humpty, lying on the ground with his broken shell, feeling afraid to climb again.

Conversation Launchers

  • Have you ever felt like something happened that was so bad, you didn’t think you’d ever feel better? What happened? Did everything stay completely awful after your “fall?”
  • How fast do you think Humpty recovered? What do you think the author was trying to teach us about “bouncing back” when hard things happen?
  • Humpty says, “Maybe now you won’t think of me as that egg who was famous for falling. Hopefully, you’ll remember me as the egg who got back up.” What do you think? How will you remember him after this story?

Interactive Activities

Keep the conversation going!

  • Make A Poster Sketch a scene that shows how you might try to do something hard, “one step at a time,” just like Humpty did. Draw a picture of your goal at the top. Draw or write each step you will take on the ladder.
  • Find Others Who’ve Fallen Look for pictures in a newspaper, magazine, or online that shows someone who “fell down” in some way and recovered. 

CLICK TO TRY THIS BOOK

Grow Grateful

Sage Foster-Lasser & Jon Lasser


Why We LOVE This Book

Things feel strange and new sometimes. Kiko is about to go on her first camping trip with her class and all of the newness feels a little scary. For every scary thing she encounters, she thinks of something that she’s grateful for. (Worried Thought: Mom and Dad aren’t going on the trip / Grateful Thought: I’m thankful that they will look after my dog while I’m gone.)

Conversation Launchers

  • Can you think of a time when you had to try something that was new and a little scary?  What happened that was scary? What happened that was good?
  • Make a Gratitude Spot – Hang a large piece of paper in your house and make a giant T in the center. On the left side of the T, list each thing that is new, scary, hard, or unusual in your child’s life. On the right side, list something to be grateful for. (For example: Grandma can’t come to visit. / I can see and talk to Grandma on Facetime every week.)

CLICK TO TRY THIS BOOK

Sergio Sees the Good

Linda Ryden


Why We LOVE This Book

If your child often sees the glass “half empty” rather than “half full,” this book is a great conversation starter! Sergio thinks he’s having one of those “terrible, rotten, no-good, very bad days.” But his mom has a very concrete way to help him see that the good outweighs the bad, even when we’re angry and frustrated. And then she explains why our brains hold on to the bad stuff, even when we’ve experienced lots of good!

Conversation Launchers

  • Can you remember a time when you felt like your day was a disaster? What happened to make you feel that way? Did anything good happen that day?
  • Do you think “negativity bias” has ever happened to you?
  • Name some of  the events that Sergio put on the “good” side of the scale. What do you notice? Were they big events like a birthday party, or little events?

Interactive Activities

Keep the conversation going!

  • Make A Family Gratitude Journal (See some suggestions in the back of the book.) Keep it near the dinner table so you can add to it as a family or keep one just for your child near their bed so you can record at least one thing to be grateful for each night. 
  • Weigh Both Sides If negativity bias is an ongoing struggle for your child, you might keep an actual scale (or use two transparent jars) and marbles in a key spot in your house. (If your “Sergio” typically tells you about the bad when they get home from school, you might keep it close to the backpack storage spot, for example.) Follow Sergio’s mom’s lead as you talk about the day and put marbles in the appropriate side of the scale or in the appropriate jar (labeled “the good” and “the bad”). Talk about which side has more marbles when you really stop to think about it!

CLICK TO TRY THIS BOOK

MORE GREAT READS

Good News, Bad News

Jeff Mack

Fortunately

Remy Charlip 

That’s Good! That’s Bad!

Marjorie Cuyler


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Resources for OTHER AGE GROUPS

SEARCH BY GRADE LEVEL…

Navigating Feelings: Pre-K & Kindergarten

Navigating Feelings: First & Second Grade

Navigating Feelings: Third, Fourth & Fifth Grade

Navigating Feelings: Middle School

Navigating Feelings: High School

Connie O, NEW BOOK JOY Founder






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