Emotional intelligence is one of the most important things parents can teach their kids. There are many ways to help children develop a high EQ, and one simple yet incredibly powerful approach is through age-appropriate books.
Countless children’s books help kids learn how to identify their emotions and express them in healthy ways.
We’ve rounded up a list of 35. Keep scrolling for a selection of books that promote emotional intelligence.
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"The Way I Feel"
This rhyming book helps kids connect words and emotions to better express their feelings. (Available here)
"Listening to My Body"
"Listening to My Body" helps children name their emotions and figure out the physical sensations they cause. (Available here)
"Today I Feel..."
This alphabet book guides kids through 26 different emotions and encourages them to think about their own feelings. (Available here)
"B Is for Breathe: The ABCs of Coping with Fussy and Frustrating Feelings"
"B Is for Breathe" focuses on the different ways kids express their emotions and the coping skills that can help them deal with difficult feelings. (Available here)
"When Sadness Is at Your Door"
This book approaches the painful feeling of sadness as if it's a visitor to engage with, rather than something to fear or avoid. (Available here)
"Tough Guys Have Feelings Too"
This book breaks down harmful messages about emotion and masculinity by reminding children that everyone has feelings, including dads and "tough guys." (Available here)
"The Boy with Big, Big Feelings"
As the title suggests, "The Boy with Big, Big Feelings" tackles the difficulty of having strong emotions and offers guidance for sensitive children. (Available here)
"Ruby Finds a Worry"
This installment in the "Big Bright Feelings" series addresses the feelings of fear and anxiety, and the value of talking about emotions. (Available here)
"Today I Feel Silly & Other Moods That Make My Day"
Actor Jamie Lee Curtis wrote this book that goes through kids' ever-changing moods. (Available here)
"Angry Octopus"
This book about a frustrated octopus guides children through ways to identify and manage anger. (Available here)
"Making Faces: A First Book of Emotions"
Geared toward toddlers, this board book focuses on five feelings -- happy, sad, angry, surprised, and silly -- and illustrates them with real facial expressions. (Available here)
"How Do You Feel?"
"How Do You Feel?" highlights major emotions and the kinds of facial expressions and contexts that tend to accompany those feelings. (Available here)
"The Rough Patch"
"The Rough Patch" follows a fox who learns to cope with loss and grief after the death of his dog and best friend. (Available here)
"All About Feelings"
This is another book that uses illustrations of facial and body cues to help kids identify their emotions. (Available here)
"When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry…"
Anger can be a very upsetting emotion for children. This story of a girl experiencing intense feelings offers a road map for coping with anger. (Available here)
"My Heart"
This poetic book uses metaphors to show the spectrum of human emotion. (Available here)
"Wemberly Worried"
"Wemberly Worried" tells the story of a mouse who worries, most notably about the first day of school, and features helpful messages for kids dealing with anxiety. (Available here)
"Tiger Days: A Book of Feelings"
"Tiger Days" uses animals to represent different emotions and help kids learn to express their feelings. (Available here)
"I'm Sad"
This second installment in Michael Ian Black's "I'm Books" series teaches kids how to cope with sadness. (Available here)
"The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon"
This whimsical book covers bad moods and emotional regulation. (Available here)
"La Catrina: Emotions - Emociones"
This bilingual book teaches children to recognize feelings and name them in English and Spanish. (Available here)
"The Feeling Flower"
"The Feeling Flower" follows Zippy, a flower dealing with the changing weather and how it affects mood. (Available here)
"Jabari Jumps"
"Jabari Jumps" is a story about overcoming fears and finding resilience. (Available here)
"There Are No Animals in This Book! (Only Feelings)"
Contemporary artists contributed to this book that illustrates powerful emotions. (Available here)
"Life Without Nico"
Friendship, separation and loneliness are big themes in this book, which helps kids learn to express emotions. (Available here)
"The Great Big Book of Feelings"
Happy. Sad. Silly. Jealous. These are some of the feelings this book explores. (Available here)
"The Day You Begin"
"The Day You Begin" captures the feeling of being scared and alone but finding the courage to reach out and connect with others. (Available here)
"Grumpy Monkey"
"Grumpy Monkey" shows the value of letting kids express all their feelings, even negative ones, rather than suppressing them. (Available here)
"All Kinds of Feelings"
This lift-the-flap book teaches little kids about people's different emotions and various ways to express them. (Available here)
"After The Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)"
"After The Fall" explores what happens after Humpty Dumpty's famous incident and his journey to overcome fear and gain the courage to sit on the wall again. (Available here)
"When I'm Feeling Angry"
"When I'm Feeling Angry" is one book in "The Feelings Series," which covers many different emotions through the experiences of a little white rabbit. (Available here)
"F Is for Feelings"
This alphabet book equips kids with the vocabulary to express their feelings and get comfortable with the range of emotions people experience. (Available here)
"Sometimes I'm Bombaloo"
"Sometimes I'm Bombaloo" tells the story of Katie, a girl who loses her temper at times and needs to learn to handle her anger. (Available here)
"Visiting Feelings"
This poetic book imagines feelings as visitors and teaches mindfulness to kids in dealing with emotions. (Available here)
"Just Feel"
This book from the daughter of Deepak Chopra helps kids learn to understand and navigate their emotions. (Available here)
Our kids have had an exceptionally bad hand dealt to them the past few months. They’ve been separated from their entire social structure, their classrooms and all sense of normalcy. And parents have certainly struggled (to put it mildly) to keep up. So, how can parents use this time at home ― whatever that looks like ― to teach their children other important life skills and foster their emotional intelligence? Enter EQ Not IQ, a package from HuffPost Parenting.
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