10 Books That Teach Preschoolers About Compassion.
Children are naturally empathic little things. I taught preschool for years and I loved seeing the raw, unfiltered interactions my young students had with one another. In fact, it was my favorite part of the job. They naturally want to help their friends and worry when they see someone unhappy. However, they also go through an egocentric stage around preschool age. It can be hard sometimes to look past their own wants and needs and see how their actions are affecting others. Combine that with the all too familiar impulsiveness that comes with being little, and well, you find a whole lot of leaping before thinking. So how do we help our little ones slow down and mindfully think about their actions? Obviously, we start with learning moments in which we can easily use what’s happening right then, and we can use books. I love seeing the sparkle in my student’s eyes when they relate to a character in a book or know how to solve the problem a character faces. So here are a few of our favorite books to help teach compassion and empathy to young learners.
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Let’s start with my four-year-old’s personal favorite. Little Blue Truck! We have read this book so many times I don’t even need to look at the pages anymore to read it to my son. In this book, we follow a little blue truck on his morning routine. He is polite and friendly to everyone he meets and they all return his friendship. When the mean “Old Dump” truck gets stuck in the mud, everyone refuses to help. That is until “little Blue” comes along! He tries to help but gets stuck as well. When everyone finds out Blue is stuck they rush to the rescue. They follow Blue’s lead and decide to help the dump truck too, even though he wasn’t very nice. This shows “Dump” that taking time to be kind and help others is a very important thing to do. You never know when you might need a friend.
Next, we have Bear Snores On. I love every single one of the bear books by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. Every one is filled with beautiful illustrations and a sweet rhyming tale about a bear and his friends. (Side note: these books are fantastic to use for infant and toddler sign language lessons. If interested in lessons plans, by all means, send me an email or leave a comment.) In Bear Snores On, the bear is hibernating in his lair and his friends pop in to weather a bad storm. They make snacks, dance, and play games that wake the bear up. At first, he is angry, but he calms down and uses his words to explain why he is sad. His friends instantly remedy the situation, and they all have a fun night together. Using our words to explain how we feel is an important skill. This book illustrates it perfectly.
Then we have Bear feels scared. Another great addition to the Bear series. In this one bear and his friends are caught in a dreadful storm. Bear is paralyzed from fear and cannot make his way back home. His friends work hard to find him, reassure him, and make him feel safe. They all reach safety and recover together.
Kindness is My Superpower by Alicia Ortego comes from a fun series of books that help every child be a superhero in own way or another. This book shows perfect examples of moments they may experience in an early learning environment so they can learn by observation. Superhero Lucas learns all about what it means to be kind, caring, and sensitive to others.
Who doesn’t enjoy the antics of The Berenstain Bears? In Kindness Counts, we learn all about having empathy for one another, sharing, and solving problems together. Kindness goes a long way. It doesn’t just make the person you were kind to feel good, it makes you feel great too.
It’s brave to be kind by Natasha Daniels teaches us that it isn’t always easy to be kind. Sometimes our friends are not being very nice. Sometimes they don’t want to play with someone else or they say mean things. What do we do if we want to nice to the person they want to leave out? This book shows little ones how to be brave, stand up for what they think is right, and be kind even when their friends might not be.
A Little Spot of Empathy is such a great book and part of “a better you” series by Diane Alber. If you are a preschool teacher or have little ones this book (and the series, it belongs to) are perfect for early social and emotional skills development. In this book, it only takes one little “spot” to show everyone how to see things from someone else’s perspective and show them kindness. I highly recommend this one along with the rest of the series that address issues like: frustration, worry, boredom, calming down, and thinking flexibly.
Teach Your Dragon Empathy by Steve Herman. I love the teach your dragon books. I know, I say that a lot about the books I post, but I wouldn’t be sharing them with you if I didn’t love them. I think this one resonates with me because when I was little, my dad was always telling me I needed to “Train my Puppy” or train my brain. Control my emotions, be mindful, and think things through. These books have the same idea. Dragon doesn’t know that his actions and what he says can hurt people’s feelings, so you need to show him how to be kind, considerate, and try to see things from other people’s points of view.
In Compassionate Ninja by Mary Nhin takes a new direction on the topic of compassion. Yes, it is important to be kind and considerate of others, but it is also important to cultivate compassion for yourself and recognize your own needs. Setting boundaries is not a common skill taught to our youth yet it can be so valuable. The compassionate Ninja is part of the Ninja Life Hacks series. If you visit the authors profile, she gives you access to printables and companion material for each book.
Last but not least we have Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andrese and Guy Parker-Rees. Another favorite in our home. In this beautifully illustrated book, all the animals of the jungle gather to dance. Giraffe Loves watching them dance and would love to join in. But he is very different from the other animals and his long limbs and neck make dancing like they do difficult. He makes quite a mess of things, and the other animals make fun of him. On his own however he begins to dance and is spotted by the other creatures. He doesn’t dance like they do but he is so graceful! You’ll never know what someone could be capable of if you never give them a chance.
There you have it. Ten of our favorite books for kindness, compassion, and empathy. Are you still looking for more ideas? Go Here to see even more fantastic options for your home or classroom. Do you have a few you would like to share with us? I love nothing more than discussing books. Put your ideas in the comments below.
I hope you all have a wonderful time reading with your little ones.
Kelley
