When I Care About Others
Author: Cornelia Maude Spelman
Recommended for Ages: 3 to 6 years old
About: Helping children learn to care about others.
As an Early Childhood Consultant I found this book valuable for young children in their school and home settings because it helps young children learn about their own and other’s feelings Preschool classroom are all about creating a “caring community” in which young children are supported in learning about each other’s feelings and needs. This book teaches young children to recognize when their friends are hurt, need something or when they feel sad. (These early experiences lead to the development and expansion of their capacity for “empathy.”)
This book is brief and easy to read with no more than 2 sentences on each page. The illustrations are full-page in size and very colorful. Because young children can focus their attention for short periods of time, this book is an excellent choice for bedtime story, circle time or a transitional activity. As a bedtime story, this book can be read in 3-4 minutes. Finally, as a transitional activity, this book can be used in two ways: as a “fill-in” when there are 3-5 minutes as the children are waiting for lunch; and it can be stretched out as children are getting ready to go to go outside by asking them to share examples of how they showed caring acts to others, or how a friend was caring for them.
This book is part of a series entitled The Way I Feel Books. There are 7 books in the series that teach various emotions, including angry, sad, good, jealous, scared and missing you. I strongly endorse this book and the series, The Way I feel Books, for any preschoolers!
Reviewer:
Ruth Sales, FDC, LMSW
Early Childhood Consultant
Early Childhood Consultation Partnership