Activities for Building Character and Social-Emotional Learning, Grades 1-2. Katia Petersen, $35.99 (Also available: PreK-K; Grades 3-5; Grades 6-8, $35.99 EACH)

In Activities for Building Character and Social-Emotional Learning, hundreds of user-friendly lesson plans help teachers build attitudes of respect and caring, reduce problem behaviors, empower students to solve problems, and educate the whole child socially, emotionally, and academically. The lessons' literature-based connections allow teachers to "build in" rather than "add on" social-emotional learning (SEL) as part of the daily curriculum. The four teacher resources in the Safe & Caring Schools® series can also be implemented as a school-wide preK–8 program. Each resource guide offers:

• Monthly themes focused on emotions, empathy, relationships, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, problem solving, decision making, teamwork, and self-esteem
• Easy-to-implement lesson formats for all activities: Read, Discuss, Do, Relate
• Literature-based lessons with curriculum integrations for using the lessons as part of language arts, social studies, science, math, art, and music
• Built-in assessments
• Reproducible activity handouts in the book and on CD-ROM

The Adventures of Dakota. Susan Bowman, $16.50 (Grades K-5)

Dakota, a friendly wolf, shows children lessons about life using experiences he has with other animals. The stories and follow-up activities teach children valuable life skills in character, coping, compassion, problem-solving and decision-making.

All About Me Art Activities. Christy Hale, $18.99 (Pre-K to Grade 1)

20 easy, step-by-step projects that celebrate kids’ individuality and build classroom community.

Believing You Can is the First Step to Achieving: a CBT and Attribution Retraining Programme to Improve Self-Belief in Students Ages 8-12. Alicia Chodkiewicz & Christopher Boyle, $49.95

Believing You Can is the First Step to Achieving is a fun and engaging programme for students in the upper primary years that teaches the difference between helpful and unhelpful thinking, increases self-belief and in doing so increases motivation to learn. 

Do you ever hear students using phrases such as "I'm not smart enough to do this?" or "I know I am going to fail?" Combining techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Attribution Retraining, this programme teaches students the link between thoughts, feelings and actions, how to challenge negative thinking and how to celebrate success. The structured programme includes a photocopiable student workbook, role play games and other activity ideas, and all of the instruction and materials needed to easily implement the programme in any school.

This will be an ideal resource for educational professionals looking to increase school attainment, support students who are underachieving, and encourage healthy and happy student development.

Better Than You. Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Adam Gustavson, $17.99

Jake's bragging is really starting to get to his neighbor Tyler. Tyler can't show Jake a basketball move, a school assignment, or a new toy without Jake saying he can do better. Tyler starts to wonder:  Is something wrong with him? Is he really such a loser? Is Jake really better than him at everything?  Or is Jake the one with the problem? With the help of his uncle Kevin, Tyler begins to understand that Jake's bragging has nothing to do with Tyler's own abilities and that puffing yourself up leaves little room for friends.

Building Character with True Stories from Nature. Barbara Lewis, $41.99 (Grades 2-5)

This flexible resource combines character education with analogies to powerful stories from nature. The heart of each of the book’s 25 lessons is an engaging story, written to kids, describing a particular animal or plant and its distinctive qualities. Busy classroom teachers will like the accessibility and flexibility of these character education lesson plans. Kids can read a story individually or in groups, or follow along as the teacher reads it aloud.

Accompanying each story, teachers will find several activities—most of them quick, easy, and requiring few supplies—that further investigate animals or plants and the connections between their qualities and human behaviors. Every lesson examines several main character traits, providing starting points and sample questions for discussing and exploring analogies between events in nature and human acts of character. Features include a chart cross-referencing lessons to specific character traits; a list of further resources; and an accompanying CD-ROM containing all of the book’s reproducible forms, including a photo of each plant and animal, plus a complete bonus lesson.

Building Everyday Leadership in All Kids: an Elementary Curriculum to Promote Attitude and Actions for Respect and Success. Mariam MacGregor, $35.99

Building Everyday Leadership in All Kids emphasizes that anyone can be a leader — and it’s never too early to start learning what leadership means and how to lead. This resource teaches youth leadership skills, engaging all emerging leaders at all emotional and academic levels, by taking a full, practical approach to building personal and group leadership attitudes. The easy-to-use activities, in categories such as Understanding Leadership, Communication, Working with Others, Problem Solving, and Making a Difference, are designed to promote group interaction, build self-confidence, and allow students to explore personal understanding.

Canadian Character Education Grades 1-2. Janet Bartier & William Young, $14.99
Canadian Character Education Grades 3-4. Janet Bartier & William Young, $14.99
Canadian Character Education Grades 5-6. Janet Bartier & William Young, $14.99

Canadian Character Education has been developed specifically for elementary teachers to facilitate planning lessons in character education. Curriculum-based reproducible forms with supporting information sheets, student worksheets, suggested activities and project ideas and other materials for classroom use are rich resources for classroom and school-wide use.

Character Building Day by Day: 180 Quick Read-Alouds for Elementary School and Home. Anne Mather & Louise Weldon, $18.99

In elementary schools across the country, teachers are expected to provide character education each day. This book makes it easy to meet that requirement in a meaningful way. Character Building Day by Day includes 180 character vignettes grouped by trait, each featuring kids in real-life situations making decisions that reflect their character. The vignettes are short enough to be read aloud and all can be used as starting points for discussion, to support an existing character education program, or as the basis for an independent program. An excellent tool for the classroom, youth groups or the character-conscious home.

Creating Caring Classrooms: How to Encourage Students to Communicate, Create and Be Compassionate Of Others. Kathleen Gould Lundy & Larry Swartz, $24.95

This passionate book is about community, compassion, and creativity; it is about caring for others. It is also about helping students care about their work. Teachers will learn how to establish inclusive classrooms where kindness and concern become crucial backdrops for critical conversations. They will be introduced to simple but profound strategies that initiate and maintain respectful dialogue, promote collaboration over competition, and confront difficult issues such as bullying and exclusion.

Creating Caring Classrooms is committed to building respectful relationships among students, teachers, and the school community. Through active, engaging, relevant, open-ended activities, students will be encouraged to explore events, ideas, themes, texts, stories, and relationships from different perspectives, and then represent those new understandings in innovative and creative ways.

Don’t Be Afraid to Say No! Ilona Lammertink & Lucie Georger, $21.50 (ages 4 to 9)

Jill loves playing with her friends, but sometimes she doesn’t want to do what they want to do. Jill’s afraid if she says “no” and doesn’t go along with her friends, they won’t like her anymore. So she keeps quiet. How will Jill learn to say “no” and feel good about it?

The Energy Bus for Kids. Jon Gordon, illustrated by Korey Scott, $19.95

A story about staying positive and overcoming challenges, using the powers of positive thinking and loving kindness.

Free to Be ... You and Me. Marlo Thomas, $25.00

This is the book we all know and love, by Marlo Thomas and her friends—with brand new illustrations to captivate and inspire a new generation of readers on a journey of the heart. Celebrating individuality and challenging stereotypes empowers both children and adults with the freedom to be who they want to be and to have compassion and empathy for others who may be different. The thoughts, ideas, and emotions the creators first envisioned 35 years ago will still have a magical effect on children today.

Friendly Facts: a Fun, Interactive Resource to Help Children Explore the Complexities of Friends and Friendship. Margaret-Anne Carter & Josie Santomauro, $23.50 (ages 7-11)

Making and keeping friends doesn't come easily for some children. Many children need to be taught a range of strategies directed at expanding their social understanding skills, such as reading facial expressions and body language. Friendly Facts, an interactive workbook aimed at children ages 7-11, addresses these challenges by breaking down the complex concept of making friends into simpler ideas. Through fun, engaging activities, children gain real-life knowledge of the major "secrets" of making and keeping friends. By gaining the foundation for making and keeping friends at a crucial age, children are better prepared for successfully interacting with others for the rest of their lives.

Growing Good Kids Book: 28 Activities to Enhance Self-Awareness, Compassion, and Leadership. Deb Delisle & Jim Delisle, Illustrated by Ken Vinton, $33.95

Created by teachers and classroom-tested, these fun and meaningful enrichment activities build children's skills in problem solving, decision making, cooperative learning, divergent thinking, and communication while promoting self-awareness, tolerance, character development, and service. Kids create books, write stories, resolve to help others, explore their own values, discover why mistakes can sometimes be beneficial, practice patience, and more in projects that combine enjoyment with learning.

Happiness Doesn’t Come from Headstands. Tamara Levitt, $15.99

Life is full of challenges — some we master and some, well … we don’t! This sweet tale teaches everyone that while we may experience failure, the failure does not define who we are.

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids. Carol McCloud, illustrated by David Messing, $12.95

Through sweet simple prose and vivid illustrations, this heartwarming book encourages positive behavior as children see how very easy and rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation and love on a daily basis.

Healthy Mindsets for Super Kids: a Resilience Programme for Children Ages 7-14. Stephanie Azri , Illustrated by Sid Azri, $35.95

Self-esteem, communication skills, positive thinking, healthy friendships, and dealing with anger, stress, anxiety and grief are all crucial parts of being resilient and having strong life skills.

Join forces with superheroes Steemy, Link, Zen, KipKool, Holly and Hally, Beau and Angel in this 10 session programme to boost resilience in children aged 7—14. Each session focuses on a key theme, and a superhero character helps to teach each skill, from overcoming anxiety to dealing with grief. A creative hands-on activity closes each session, and session summaries and tips for parents encourage children to continue learning and building their skills between sessions. An engaging comic strip story about the superheroes runs throughout the program. Sessions are flexible and easily adaptable for use in different settings and with younger or older children, and include photocopiable worksheets. This imaginative resource is a complete programme, ideal for teachers, counsellors, therapists, social workers and youth workers.

Helping Children to Build Self-Esteem: a Photocopiable Activities Book. Deborah Plummer, $35.95

Helping Children to Build Self-Esteem offers over 100 simple, practical and fun activities specifically aimed at helping children to build and maintain self-esteem. These exercises are suitable for work with individuals and groups and with all children including those with special needs or with speech and language difficulties. This unique activities book will be an invaluable resource for anyone looking for creative, enjoyable ways of helping children to build their self-esteem.

How Do I Stand In Your Shoes? A Story & Worksheets about Empathy. Susan DeBell, $20.95

Miranda Peabody had no patience for the other students in class and just didn’t understand why they couldn’t be as smart and talented as she was. Her teacher, Mrs. Klemp, suggested that she try to understand other people by “standing in their shoes.” After much searching, she learns the true meaning of “standing in someone else’s shoes” and having empathy for others. This full-color, illustrated storybook for grades PK-4 includes discussion questions as well as activities to enhance learning about empathy.

If Winning Isn’t Everything, Why Do I Hate to Lose? Bryan Smith, $14.95

This humorous book for grades K-6 teaches children that practicing good sportsmanship can help them have more fun playing any game, whether winning or losing! 

The Kindness Curriculum: Stop Bullying Before It Starts. Judith Anne Rice, $32.95 (ages 3-6)

Help preschoolers develop compassion for others with this collection of classroom and at-home activities. The Kindness Curriculum provides a variety of new and revised experiences that strengthen the building blocks of positive character development. Children will enjoy the expression the activities encourage and the playfulness they provide as they learn about love, feelings and empathy, gentleness, self-control, respect, friendship, and conflict resolution. This edition includes activities that aim to prevent bullying before it starts by teaching young children about pro-social values in a peaceful classroom community.

This comprehensive collection of activities helps foster an atmosphere of acceptance, empowerment, and love. It also supports the important lesson that a little kindness can go a long way. 

Making it Better: Activities for Children Living in a Stressful World, 2nd Edition. Barbara Oehlberg, $28.95

Speaking to the concept of “trauma-informed” early childhood education, this book responds to the learning and behavioral needs of children who have experienced traumatic events or toxic stress — such as natural disasters, community violence, abuse or neglect within the child's familial relations, and more. In addition to more than 75 empowering and healing classroom activities, there is information to help you understand the impact of children's disrupted attachments and early insecurities, as well as strategies to help children build resilience.

One of Us. Peggy Moss & Penny Weber, $19.95 (ages 6-10)

Roberta is the new girl in class and moves from group to group, just trying to be herself! One of Us explores the stress of peer pressure and trying to “fit in” at school.

Play-2-Learn Dominoes™ - Character Strength. Franklin Learning Systems, $33.95 (2-5 players; Grades 2-8)

Based on the dynamic field of positive psychology, Play-2-Learn Dominoes — Character Strength is based on the concepts of the new field of positive psychology. Designed to build strong character in kids, the strengths emphasized in this game are kindness, self control, forgiveness, modesty, leadership, and social intelligence. 

The Seven Teachings Stories. Katherena Vermette & Irene Kuziw, $9.95 each (ages 5-9)

The Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe — love, wisdom, humility, courage, respect, honesty, and truth — are revealed in these seven stories for children. Set in an urban landscape with Indigenous children as the central characters, these stories about home and family wil look familiar to all readers.

Amik Loves School: a Story of Wisdom. Katherena Vermette & Irene Kuziw, $9.95

The First Day: a Story of Courage. Katherena Vermette & Irene Kuziw, $9.95

The Just Right Gift: a Story of Love. Katherena Vermette & Irene Kuziw, $9.95

Kode's Quest(ion): a Story of Respect. Katherena Vermette & Irene Kuziw, $9.95

Misaabe's Stories: a Story of Honesty. Katherena Vermette & Irene Kuziw, $9.95

Singing Sisters: a Story of Humility. Katherena Vermette & Irene Kuziw, $9.95

What is Truth Betsy? A Story of Truth. Katherena Vermette & Irene Kuziw, $9.95

Social and Emotional Well-Being: Activities for Age 3 to Kindergarten, 3rd Edition. Connie Jo Smith, Charlotte Hendricks & Becky Bennett, $21.50

Children's social and emotional skills form a critical foundation for learning and wellness that guide them into adulthood and influence how they deal with both successes and adversity in life. These activities support children as they learn about self-esteem, emotions and feelings, family and friends, and changes in life. This book includes:

• An overview of the social and emotional well-being topics covered in the curriculum
• Suggested interest area materials and supports for creating the learning environment
• Learning objectives and vocabulary words
• Suggestions for evaluating children's understanding of each social and emotional well-being topic
• More than 30 classroom activities
• Family information and take-home activities

Some Days Are Lonely. Young-Ah Kim, Illustrated by Ji-Soo Shin, $10.95 (ages 4-8)

Do you ever feel lonely? Everyone does, from time to time.

Stand in My Shoes: Kids Learning about Empathy. Bob Sornson, illustrated by Shelley Johannes, $15.95

After Emily asks her big sister what the word "empathy" means, she decides to pay closer attention to others, and see what she can learn.

Stick Up for Yourself: Self-Esteem and Assertiveness for Kids. Gershen Kaufman & Lev Raphael, $17.50

Stick Up for Yourself is the ultimate resource for any kid who’s ever been picked on at school, bossed around, blamed for things he or she didn’t do, or treated unfairly — and for any kid who sometimes feels frustrated, angry, powerless, or scared. Simple words and real-life examples show how children can stick up for themselves with other kids (including bullies and teasers), big sisters and brothers, even grown-ups.

Kids learn how to build relationships, become responsible, manage their anger, grow a “feelings vocabulary," make good choices, solve problems, set goals, and "store" happiness and pride. Questions from real kids are paired with answers about how to handle specific situations calmly, confidently, and effectively. A special note to parents and teachers explores the "self-esteem backlash" and explains what self-esteem really is — and why kids today need it more than ever.

Strong Start—Grades Pre-K: a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum. Kenneth Merrell, Danielle Parisi, & Sara Whitcomb, $43.95

Strong Start—Grades K–2: a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum. Kenneth Merrell, Danielle Parisi, & Sara Whitcomb, $55.95

Strong Kids—Grades 3–5: a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum. Kenneth Merrell, et al $55.95

Strong Kids—Grades 6–8: a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum. Kenneth Merrell, et al, $43.95

Strong Teens—Grades 9–12: a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum. Kenneth Merrell, et al, $51.50

Social-emotional competence is a critical part of every child's school success, and just like any academic subject, children need instruction in it. These proven curricula will help promote the social-emotional competence and resilience of children and adolescents.

Divided into five age levels from preschool through high school, these innovative social and emotional learning curricula are filled with engaging, thought-provoking class activities that help students develop vital skills they'll use for the rest of their lives: understanding emotions, managing anger, relieving stress, solving interpersonal problems, and much more.

Elementary school children can start building positive character traits like caring, citizenship, cooperation, courage, fairness, honesty, respect, and responsibility. The true stories, inspiring quotations, thought-provoking dilemmas, and activities in this book help kids grow into capable, moral teens and adults. Previously titled Being Your Best, this award-winning book has a fresh new cover and updated resources.

What is Friendship? Games and Activities to Help Children to Understand Friendship. Pamela Day, $31.95

Friendship is a vital part of achieving emotional well-being, but some children experience difficulties both initiating and maintaining friendships. This fun and accessible programme contains detailed instructions and photocopiable handouts for teaching children about friendship. The book combines group activities, individual work, homework exercises and games, and will be especially useful for groups containing children with developmental and social difficulties, such as ADHD and autism. Developed in an inclusive classroom, this programme will arm children with useful strategies to deal with difficult situations such as negative peer pressure and conflict.

What is Friendship is ideally suited for use with children aged 7-11, but can be adapted for younger children or older children with developmental difficulties.

What Would You Do? In a Jar®: Daily Dilemmas for Young Children. $12.50 (ages 4-8)

These “What would you do?” scenarios help preschool and primary-age kids develop decision-making skills with this go-anywhere and easy-to-use jar.