5 Easy Social Emotional Activities for Children 0

Nurturing social-emotional learning (SEL) doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right stories and hands-on activities, children can build essential life skills in fun, meaningful ways. Here are engaging book-inspired activities that support each of the five core SEL competencies.

Self-Management

Children have big emotions and often times don’t know how to deal with them. It’s important to teach them the skills they need to manage their stress, control their impulses, and even motivating themselves. This skill allows them to stop, think, and then act to make a good decision.

Here is a creative activity for kids to help with their self-management skills:

Craft your very own Grumble Boat!

This activity comes from the back matter of Grumble Boats by Susannah McFarlane, illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie

What You Need:

• Piece of paper
• Coloring utensils

1. Grumble away on your piece of paper! Choose the colors you feel and draw out your grumbles.
2. Fold paper in half (vertical) and then unfold – you created guide-lines
3. Fold in half horizontal this time
4. Fold the corners in so you create a pointed triangle at the top
5. At the bottom of the paper are edges, fold the edges up on both sides
6. Pull sides out and flatten
7. Fold front and back layers up from the bottom
8. Pull sides apart and flatten
9. Pull top flaps outward
10. Squish the bottom and pull sides up
    

Congratulations! You have your very own grumble boat. Now send your grumble boat down the stream.

You can find the downloadable directions on how to fold the grumble boat here.

Read alouds are a great way to build social-emotional skills, including self-control. While reading, pause and discuss the self-management moments within the story. Here are some great Charlesbridge books with strong self-management themes.

Far, Far Away (Picture Book)
Beansprout (Picture Book)
Found You! (Picture Book)
Grumble Boats (Picture Book)

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the foundation for emotional intelligence. Children with strong self-awareness are able to recognize and label their own emotions and understand how their emotions effect their behavior. When children are able to name what they feel and why, they’re empowered to act constructively.

Here is an artistic activity for kids to help with their self-awareness skills:

Color Your Emotions

This activity comes from the activity guide for the All About Noticing series by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Elizabeth Goss, specifically the All About Color activity on page 14

What You Need:

• Paper
• Pencil or Pen
• Paint (watercolor or acrylic)
• Paint brushes
• Containers of water
• Mixing palette such as plastic tub tops, washable plate, tin foil
• Optional: Emotion wheel or other emotional identification tools

1. Fold your piece of paper in half and then in half again, making four sections
2. Write an emotion on the top of each section (use the emotion wheel or other emotional identification tool for help if needed)
3. Mix your paints to create one or more colors that seem to capture each emotion
4. Paint them in the corresponding section

Questions to ask your child to help them reflect on their choices:

1. Why did you choose these four emotions?
2. What prompted you to connect these emotions with the colors you blended?
3. Did you make a cultural connection (like “seeing red” when angry) or a real-life item (like the color of a toy or a blanket that comforts them when they feel sad)
4. Was your color inspiration more abstract?

Color can be used to color your whole life, so allowing children to explore what color means to them allows them to strengthen their self-identity. 

You can find the downloadable activity guide here with plenty of activities to do with children.

Here are some Charlesbridge titles with strong self-awareness themes.

Welcome Home, Esmerelda (Picture Book)
All About Color (Picture Book)
You Are a Burst of Color (Picture Book)
Worst-Case Collin (Middle Grade Novel-in-Verse)

Social Awareness

Social awareness skills help kids become kind, respectful, and inclusive. They learn to value others and be thoughtful during conflicts.

Here is a considerate activity for kids to help with their social-awareness skills:

Create a Welcome Box

This activity comes from the activity guide for Counting Kindness by Hollis Kurman, illustrated by Barroux

Children can either create an actual welcome box or imagine what they’d put in one for someone new to either the neighborhood, classroom, or even to the country.

Ask them these questions:

• What will you put in the box?
• Which tings might these children need or enjoy having?
• Think about what you would need/want if you had just arrived in a new place where nothing is familiar. How would you decorate the box to make it cheerful and welcoming?
• Can you also make a welcome card?

Every kindness counts, especially for people in a new place who may be feeling alone. Sharing a welcome box is a great way to bridge a new connection.

You can find the downloadable activity guide here with plenty of activities to do with children.

Here are some Charlesbridge titles with strong social awareness themes.

Dropbear (Picture Book)
The Ripple Effect (Middle Grade Novel)
Counting Kindness (Picture Book)
Circle Round (Picture Book)

Relationship Skills

Strong relationship skills can help children feel empowered to form strong, supportive connections with others. They lay the foundation for healthy personal and professional relationships throughout life.

Here is a drawing activity for kids to help with their relationship skills:

Kids in Your Family

This activity comes from the activity guide for Forever Cousins by Laura Goodluck, illustrated by Jonathan Nelson

• Draw the kids in your life: siblings, cousins, step or half-siblings, foster siblings, honorary cousins, neighbors, or family friends.
• On the back of the paper, write their names and explain how you know them or are related to them.

This activity is a gentle and powerful way to help kids explore who is important to them, how they relate to others, and how to talk about relationships.

You can find the downloadable activity guide here with plenty of activities to do with children.

Here are some Charlesbridge titles with strong relationship themes.

Forever Cousins (Picture Book)
Sticky Hermana (Picture Book)
In the Autumn Forest (Picture Book)
A Thousand White Butterflies (Picture Book)

Responsible Decision-Making

Responsible decision-making skills allow children to make thoughtful, ethical, and safe choices by promoting critical thinking and ethical awareness. It strengthens their ability to solve problems and reflect on consequences.

Here is a written activity for kids to help with their responsible decision-making skills:

Make a Difference

This activity comes from the activity guide for April & Mae and the Animal Shelter by Megan Dowd Lambert, illustrated by Briana Dengoue

Propose to your child this question: If you had a million dollars to give to one local nonprofit organization, which nonprofit would you choose and why? How can you use your skills and talents to help as a volunteer?

You can use this question to do the following:

• Learn about nonprofit organizations.
• Explore your local nonprofits
• Consider what your nonprofits do – what is their impact on the community
• Structure of the nonprofit – what do they do with monetized donations?
• Learn how to volunteer to support this organization

This simple activity empowers children to see themselves as active, capable changemakers in their communities.

You can find the downloadable activity guide here with plenty of activities to do with children.

Here are some Charlesbridge titles with strong responsible decision-making themes.

Yumbo Gumbo (Picture Book)
Clack, Clack! Smack! (Picture Book)
April & Mae and the Animal Shelter (Early Reader Chapter Book)
Mascot (Middle Grade Novel-in-Verse)

These activities support reading and creativity, and help children grow into emotionally intelligent and responsible individuals. Pair the activities with the recommended Charlesbridge books to bring SEL lessons to life through storytelling.

Reading with Pride: Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Voices in Charlesbridge Books 0

Pride Month is a time to celebrate love, identity, and the vibrant spectrum of the LGBTQIA+ community. At Charlesbridge, we believe every reader deserves to see themselves reflected in the books they read. This June, we're proud to spotlight a collection of books that feature LGBTQIA+ characters, themes, and creators. Join us as we celebrate Pride through the power of storytelling—because every story deserves to be told with pride.

If you'd like to take a look at our full catalog of LGBTQIA+ books, you can check it out on our website.

Young Adult Reads

The Other Pandemic: An AIDS Memoir
Lynn Curlee
9781623543501 • Hardcover • 06/06/2023 • $19.99
Charlesbridge Teen

A searing photo-illustrated historical memoir from the LGBTQIA+ frontlines of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s.

Before COVID-19 made "pandemic" a household word in 2020, there was the AIDS pandemic of the 1980s and 1990s. Author Lynn Curlee explores the parallels and the difference as he recounts living in New York and Los Angeles when the disease silently took hold of the gay community. As the disease became a full-blown public health crisis, Curlee watched in horror at the devastating progression of HIV/AIDS, the staggering losses endured, and divisive politics and discrimination that cost many people their lives.  

With honesty and heart, Curlee tells the stories of the many friends and loved ones that he lost to the disease, including his own life partner. LGBTQ+ rights and access to health care continues to be threatened today. The Other Pandemic is a stark and strong reminder of how history speaks to the present, and this window to the past is a valuable tool for understanding our current cultural landscape.

"Curlee has written an important book, for, as he acknowledges, “AIDS still simmers in the United States,” and so, more good books about it are necessary—particularly those such as this that put a human face on it. It belongs in every library."—Booklist, starred review

"A poignant memoir that readers will not be able to put down. Keep tissues handy. Highly recommended."—School Library Journal, starred review

"In his memoir, Curlee uses personal photographs, powerful quotes, and his own memories to build a gripping, unforgettable account of the early years of the AIDS crisis."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

Henry Hamlet's Heart
Rhiannon Wilde
9781623543693 • Hardcover • 10/18/2022 • $18.99
Charlesbridge Teen

This smart and charming queer YA rom-com about falling for your best friend will win the hearts of fans of Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli.

Henry Hamlet doesn’t know what he wants after school ends. It’s his last semester of high school, and all he’s sure of is his uncanny ability to make situations awkward. Luckily, he can always hide behind his enigmatic best friend, Len. They’ve been friends since forever, but Len is mysterious and Henry is clumsy, and Len is a heartthrob and Henry is a neurotic mess. Somehow it’s always worked.

That is, until Henry falls in love. Hard. How do you date your best friend?

"Wilde proves to be especially good at dialogue, with a gift for witty banter that rings true and helps define character. Set in Australia, this superb first novel proves the universality of love."—Booklist, starred review

Picture Books

Our Wish For You: A Story About Open Adoption
Dano Moreno; Illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke
9781623543556 • Hardcover • 09/12/2023 • $17.99
Charlesbridge

This moving picture book about open adoption shares all parents’ wish for a child’s life to be full of love and family.

One birth mother is pregnant with a baby and wants to find parents to adopt the child. Eventually she finds two dads who will be just the right parents, because they, too, share her same wishes of love and happiness for the baby. Author Dano Moreno drew from his and his husband's experience with adopting their son to write a gentle, universal story about all the hopes, dreams, and wishes parents have for their children to live happy lives. 

Sweet and tender, Our Wish For You is the perfect gift for growing families, baby showers, or adoption day celebrations.

My Dad is the Best
Fran Pintadera; Illustrated by Joan Turu
9781623544911 • Hardcover • 04/22/2025 • $17.99
Charlesbridge

A fierce competition ensues between two boys arguing over whose dad is strongest in this absurdly silly-yet-sweet picture book, with a surprise twist ending.

Two boys try to one-up each other about their strong dads. One says his dad can pick up a truck filled with elephants, which makes the other boy claim his dad can do the same, but with pregnant elephants!

Eventually the boys realize something even more special about their dads.

The perfect book for any kid who intensely loves their parent.

Far, Far Away
Molly Beth Griffin; Illustrated by Bao Luu
9781623543631 • Hardcover • 04/29/2025 • $17.99
Charlesbridge

A picture book celebrating the beauty of nature, new experiences, and gaining perspective. Sometimes you have to go far, far away to appreciate the world around you.

Mom and Mama are taking Rowan on his first camping trip far, far away from the city where they live. Rowan is excited to see all kinds of wildlife, possibly even a bear or a moose!

But they are canoe camping, which means they carry all their supplies on their back and paddle from place to place. Before long, Rowan is tired and hungry, itchy from mosquito bites, and downright grumpy. In fact, he wants to go home.

When night falls, Mom and Mama listen to his complaints, but when they show him the sky—full of stars like he's never seen before—Rowan realizes that though camping is hard work, it is worth it in the end.

Interested in seeing more of our LGBTQIA+ titles? Check it out on our website.

As we celebrate Pride Month, we’re proud to uplift stories that reflect the beautiful spectrum of identities in the LGBTQIA+ community. Whether you're a young reader discovering who you are or a parent, educator, or ally looking to share inclusive stories, we hope these titles offer both inspiration and affirmation. Happy Pride!

Build a Bee Home With Your Kids - Happy International Bee Day 0

Hello bee-lovers, time to build a bee home!

While May 20^th marks International Bee Day, I think any day can be bee day. As the nicer weather rolls in, here is a fun craft you can do with children to help benefit the bees.

Bee Hotel Craft

Bee hotels are beneficial for solitary bees and wasps, both important for an ecosystem. Providing them a safe place to settle is important for your garden to help with pollination and also pest control (wasps can nom on spiders and other pests). The activity is also a great science project that allows for children to learn about pollinators up close.

This fun hands-on activity allows children to let their creativity buzz as they build a home for bees. A great DIY project to explore animal habitats and socio-environmental systems. This project utilizes materials you may already have around the home if you have children who love doing arts and crafts.

What You’ll Need:

• A can (like a soup or bean can) or a large water bottle
• Art supplies for decorating. Have fun!
• Sheets of color paper
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Tape
• Glue
• One toilet paper roll
• Twigs from outside
• Two pieces of string

Steps:

1.       Carefully remove the top off a used can or bottle. Make sure there are no sharp edges on your can and it’s completely clean and dry.

2.       Decorate the can how you’d like – stickers, paint, construction paper, etc. Let your creativity buzz. Just keep the decorations on the outside so it doesn't harm future guests.

3.       Cut the paper in half. Each piece needs to be a bit shorter than the tin can when you hold them next to each other, with a minimum of six inches.

4.       Use the pencil to roll the paper. It needs to be rolled five or six times to make the tube thick. Tape the roll so it stays and then remove pencil.

5.       Rinse and repeat making the rolls until you have enough to fill the can/bottle.

6.       Cover the bottom of the can with glue and then put the toilet paper roll inside. Put the thinner tubes in the roll and around outside. Make sure not to squish the rolls, you want the bees to fit inside.

7.       Break the twigs to fit inside the can and use them to fill in the open spaces in the can, around the toilet paper roll.

8.       Tie rope around the can, one near the top and another near the bottom. Each piece of string should be long enough to wrap around the can twice and you’ll want another 8 to 12 inches extra to hang from the tree branch.

9.       Now to go to your garden! Find a tree in a sunny part outside and tie it to a branch.

10.   Be sure to mention that it make take a while for a bee to use it as a shelter to help your child's expectations. You can plan to check the bee home occasionally to see if a guest has moved in.

Ta-da! You now have a bee hotel. Keep in mind, bee hotels are entirely for solitary bees and wasps. Each nest is owned by a single female, who lays her own eggs and gathers all the food needed for each offspring.

While bee hotels can be useful, if you’re able, the best option in your garden is to go as natural as you can, and you can do this by giving them access to a place where they can burrow underground with lightly covered soil. The bees who don’t burrow in the ground like to make use of dead wood cavities or hollow plant stems instead. The best areas for them are south or east-facing slopes. They love the sun and the slope ensures it’s well drained.

Building a bee hotel is a simple, creative way to support local pollinators and spark curiosity in young minds. Whether it's Bee Day or any sunny afternoon, this hands-on project helps kids connect with nature while giving solitary bees a safe space to thrive. Happy crafting and buzzing!

Looking for some bee-utiful picture books to read, be sure to check out:

Lola Meets the Bees
by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
HC: 9781623543839
TR: 9781623545949

Honeybee Rescue: A Backyard Drama
by Loree Griffin Burns, photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz
HC: 9781623542399

Beansprout: A Social Emotional Growth 0

Some of us at Charlesbridge decided to join Ms. Greene's classroom and try to plant our own seeds to see what grows. The experience was very much like Beansprout, written and illustrated by Sarah Lynne Ruel with successes and failures as we tried to grow some wildflowers.

By no means are we experts in growing flowers, this being a new experience for us as we challenged ourselves to do something new.

So we gathered the seeds, flower pots, and soil, and took part in our own version of Ms. Greene's experiment.

With three different size flower pots, we planted wildflowers, watered them with just the right amount of water, not too little, not too much, and with some hope (and not too much expectation), we left it to nature to decide which one of us had a green thumb.

Overall, it was successful as two got cute little buds sprouting . . . and one did not. It was definitely a wave of hope and disappointment and even a little sadness to see the others sprout and nothing much coming out of one of the pots. A calm down corner like in Beansprout would have been nice to have.

Beansprout is the perfect social emotional moment for the classroom as the students face success and  disappointment in their gardening experiments. This book ties in nicely with any gardening and agriculture curriculum while also teaching readers how to deal with their big emotions when things don't turn out how they expected.

Beansprout
Sarah Lynne Reul
Hardcover: 978-1-62354-475-1
Available Now!
$17.99

What happens when you do everything right, but it doesn’t work out? When classmates start having success with their seeds, one student's just won't sprout.

A picture book about planting and growing, where grown-ups and kids can talk about disappointment, emotions, and second chances.

It's seed-planting time in Ms. Greene's classroom! One of the kids has big predictions for their mystery seed and does everything just so to make sure it grows. But as all the other seeds start to sprout, theirs . . . doesn't. 

More Resources:
Beansprout Activity Kit
Author Panel: Celebrating Social-Emotional Learning in 2025
Tissue Paper Printing with Author-Illustrator Sarah Lynne Reul
Sarah Lynne Reul Introduces Beansprout
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