Taking a Bath With the Dog: And Other Things That Make Me Happy By Scott Menchin

What do you do when it seems as if nothing will make you happy? For one

little girl, it’s a good time to take a survey from all sorts of characters to get their ideas. - goodreads.com Introduce the story to the children by explaining that everyone feels sad, grumpy, or angry sometimes. Remind children that it’s okay to feel these feelings, but we know that they are uncomfortable, and there are things we can do to start feeling happy again. At the end of the book, children can share some things that make them happy when they are feeling upset. Centres: Have a centre with provocations related to things that make the different characters happy. For example:

Bubbles and bath toys in the water table

Magnetic numbers and wood cookies

A variety of string and ribbon at the art table to mimic hair

Dirt in the sand table for digging

A variety of materials and textures with striped patterns for children to explore Dramatic Play: Have puppets of each character of the story in the dramatic play area for kids to re-enact the story. Include the things that makes each character happy (e.g. have a toy bathtub for the dog puppet). Ask the children if they would like to do a live performance. As a second idea, have a large bucket of shoes for the children to explore—see who enjoys shoes like the snake/worm in the story. Games: Use the attached images to create a memory matching game. Match the character with the activity (e.g. the picture of the bat matches the image of the child sleeping upside-down) Gross Motor: The rabbit in the story is happy when he runs around. Play a variety of running games in the gym or outside:

Red Light, Green Light

British Bulldog

Tag

The Screaming Game (children run as they let out one long scream, and stop when they “run out of scream”)

Running with kites, ribbons, flags, scarves, etc. Music: Sing/play the following songs about happiness (there are many others not listed! Use your fave!):

If You’re Happy and You Know It – children’s song

Keep on the Sunny Side – children’s song

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah – children’s song

Happy by Pharell Williams

Don’t Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin

The 59th Street Bridge (Feelin’ Groovy) – Simon & Garfunkel

Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves Include Families! Let parents know that you are talking about ways to feel happy when upset. Give parents and siblings sticky notes to write one thing that makes them happy; put them all on the whiteboard for your playroom. Share the attached Backpack Connection tip sheet: How to Help Your Child Understand and Label Emotions.

How to Help Your Child Understand and Label Emotions Brooke Brogle, Alyson Jiron & Jill Giacomini

You can help your child expand her emotional vocabulary by teaching her words for different feelings. Once she knows and understands these words you can help her to label her own feelings and the feelings of others. For example, do you remember a time when your child had a meltdown at the grocery store or other public place? Perhaps you tried soothing your child by telling her to “calm down” and felt confused and unsure of what to do next when she continued the tantrum. Next time you can better help your child understand and deal with the emotions she is feeling by saying, “You look sad and disappointed. Sometimes I feel that way too. I wonder what we can do to feel better?” Teaching your child about her emotions can be a fun and

rewarding experience and prevent challenging behavior from occurring in the first place.

Suggestions for Families

Simply state how your child is feeling. “You look really excited! I see your eyes are big and your mouth is open.”

State how others are feeling. “Wow, that little boy is really mad. I see he is crying and making fists with his hands. I wonder why?”

State how you are feeling. “I am really frustrated that the lawn mower is broken. I think I’m going to take a break and come up with some solutions to this problem.”

Use books as teaching tools. There is a huge selection of children’s books that focus on emotional literacy. Visit http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html#list where you will find a book list, book activities and other resources for teaching emotional literacy.

Suggestions for Educators Talk with your child’s educators to see how they are teaching children about emotions at their centre. Many emotions are seen and experienced in an early learning and care setting. With adult help, children are taught how emotions look and feel on our bodies. Through books, planned activities, and real experiences, educators show that a child looks sad because he is crying or mad because her fists are tight. As children begin to recognize what emotions look like, they can begin to manage their own emotions and show empathy toward others.

The Bottom Line Children with a strong emotional vocabulary:

Tolerate frustration better.

Get into fewer conflicts.

Engage in less destructive behavior.

Are healthier.

Are less lonely.

Are less impulsive.

Are more focused.

Have greater academic achievement.

More resources can be found at: www.challengingbehavior.org

www.csefel.vanderbilt.edu