Picturebooks About Disasters: Incorporating Interactive Read-Alouds to Support Young Children's Social-Emotional Learning

Disasters, natural and human-made, occur within children's lives and often have traumatic effects on their well-being. Early childhood educators must be prepared to support children's social-emotional learning related to disasters. When teachers use quality picturebooks for interactive read-alouds, they can promote opportunities for children to share their thoughts and views and consider the feelings of others while developing empathy. This article will define disasters, social-emotional learning, and interactive read-alouds. Next, the benefits of incorporating interactive read-alouds into the early childhood classroom will be discussed. Building social-emotional learning through the use of picturebooks will be shared. In addition, incorporating children's picturebooks about disasters and text selection, with an annotated list of literature that relates to disasters and supports children's social-emotional learning, is included. Finally, connecting with children's families and encouraging read-louds in the home to support social-emotional learning will be described.