Big Ideas for Little People

kindergarten skills

Earlier this week, I published a post that had some of our favorite books for helping young children begin to build critical social and emotional skills. There are LOTS of great books out there, so I hope you will add some of your favorites in the comments.

In perusing our collection for that post, I came across reviews of wonderful books that are related to social and emotional skills but are a bigger and/or a bit more abstract. They include themes that aren’t always easy to explain:

  • Gratitude and kindness;
  • Social Issues (like hunger and homelessness);
  • Complex Ideas (like world peace or being an American).

Where the last post left off with preschool- and kindergarten-age audiences, this one casts the net a little wider to include early elementary students, too.

Kids want to know how they fit into the world. They are curious – and eager – to understand it all! Let’s don’t forget they also have LOTS of questions, some of which don’t seem easy to answer!

That’s where this shortlist comes into play. In this mini-collection, you will find books that help them understand some of the intangible and more complex concepts of life. AND they also support their development of social and emotional skills mentioned in that study: cooperation and working together; empathy; and sharing.

Gratitude and Kindness

Social & Community Issues

Other Big, Complex Ideas

We have lots more books on these subjects in our book bag. Just type the idea/theme/concept in the box on the top of this page and get a list of books that we have reviewed.