Emotions often prove to be very difficult to deal with even in adults, and may become practically uncontrollable in children. However, based on the theories of social and emotional development, specifically, the one by Vygotsky, children are quite capable of identifying their emotions and containing them (Fleer et al, p. 108). By offering children the tools for managing their emotions more effectively, an educator can encourage the early childhood development process. Moreover, with the adoption of an emotion-centered therapy, the presence and long-lasting effects of the trauma that numerous students are currently suffering can be alleviated.
The application of bibliotherapy should be seen as especially useful for helping children to heal their trauma and control their emotions more effectively. For this reason, several crucial resources for assisting children in understanding their needs and the concept of their self should be considered. Specifically, reading stories from children’s books to the target audience will be very therapeutic, especially in the scenarios where the trauma inflicted upon children due to the emotional strain caused by the lockdown and the threat of coronavirus may have impeded the child’s further development (“Together While Apart – Message for the Families/Adults During Pandemic”). Therefore, it is necessary that adults, namely, parents and educators, should create the reading experience that will allow children to relieve the stress and focus on developing positive emotions.
Ten books have been chosen for the purposes of bibliotherapy for children during the lockdown. These include mostly the stories that focus on creating a calm and soothing environment, as well as thrilling children into paying attention. The suggested combination will help to reduce the levels of anxiety that children are likely to experience, while simultaneously educating them and keeping them engaged. Thus, the stress of the current situation will be alleviated, and the weight of the trauma will be reduced or even prevented from further development completely.
“When I Feel Sad” by Cornelia Maude Spelman is one of the books that should be actively recommended as the crucial basis for home reading during the quarantine. With the amount of emotional pressure that children are presently forced to endure, the development of trauma is likely to take place. Therefore, children will need to learn to manage their emotions, particularly, those of anxiety, fear, and sadness, for which Spelman’s book will be perfect. Likewise, “The Chocolate Covered Cookie Tantrum” by Deborah Blementhal and “Don’t Rant and Rave on Wednesdays!” by Adolph Moser will help young children to learn to accept their emotions, including negative ones, namely, anger.
In addition, the trauma to which children are currently subjected is marked heavily by the feeling of fear. For this reason, the mechanisms for managing fear will have to be trained. Therefore, the books such as “Creepy Things are Scaring Me” by Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey, “How I Feel Scared” by Marcia Leonard, “Franklin in The Dark” by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark, and “No Such Thing” by Jackie French Koller can be recommended to help young learners to accept their feeling of fear and face it. As a result, children will have the power to control their worries, thus managing the problem of anxiety. In addition, it is strongly recommended to ensure that positive emotions are fostered and actively encouraged in children, which is why the books such as “The Crown on Your Head” by Nancy Tillman, “Wemberly Worried” by Kevin Henkes, and “Junkyard Wonders” by Patricia Polacco should be advised for bibliotherapy.
Works Cited
Fleer, Marilyn, et al. Perezhivanie, Emotions and Subjectivity. Springer, 2017.
“Together While Apart – Message for the Families/Adults During Pandemic.” Youtube, uploaded by Ms. Ellen, 2020. Web.