Guidance to Regulate
Children’s Emotions

With my students in elementary school, I supplement social-emotional lessons with picture books on various social-emotional learning topics. I wrote this book because I struggled to find one that addressed the topic of being mindful of the body’s signals that precede the manifestation of emotions.

This book is unique because it provides examples and content-specific terms to use the foundations of psychology to teach children how to notice and cope with the body’s involuntary responses to feelings. Using rhyming, similes, and imagery allows young readers to remain engaged and apply the content to their own experiences.

I believe many facets of children’s lives require discovering and understanding to support the unique areas of need effectively. From this understanding, I believe holistic and mindful interventions can be implemented to provide skills for lifelong success. In publishing this book, I aim for children to recall its content, become mindful of body responses, and successfully apply effective and safe coping skills to regulate their emotions.

This book can be read multiple times to reinforce learning and revisited to remind children of the information. Including rhyming and repetition allows children to remain engaged and participate in reading. The inclusion of psychological terms can build a foundation for children’s understanding of brain functioning and behavior. Social and emotional learning can be reinforced with my book’s relational content, emotional vocabulary, and coping skills.

The content does not include new techniques but is directly related to mindfulness with easy-to-use coping skills. I aim to address the problem of undesired behavior resulting from a lack of emotional control. This type of behavior is often unsafe and negatively affects relationships. When children are exposed to this book, they will learn what emotions are, begin to understand the concepts of triggers as well as flight, fright, and fight responses, and hear examples of coping skills. Learning can be extended by asking children to identify their own emotions, triggers, body responses, patterns of behavior, and coping skills. Not only will the children listening to and reading my book benefit, so will their teachers, school staff, and families. These adults will gain content to serve as a foundation for discussion and become equipped to create a plan to regulate the children’s emotions in their lives.

This book is well-written, colorfully illustrated, and insightful. My son read it, too, and acted out the emotions! I wish this book was around when I was a kid, as I’m learning more about myself now as a grown woman than I did as a child.

Jeanna Bellardo,
mom of a neurodivergent son

My Body Knows Do I Know is an amazing learning tool that teaches children of all ages to identify the emotions they are feeling and the physical effects they can have on their bodies. Coping skills are introduced to address the physical reactions that result from their emotions. Simple language, engaging illustrations, and valuable information combine to make this a cherished, not-to-be-missed book to add to your children’s library.

Connie Jo Miller,
mom to an awesome kid on the spectrum and author of the children’s Words of Whimsy series