Emotional skills in a fun way

Anna-Maria Kuusela: Sisu Kettu ei anna periksi, Räyhä-Ravun kiukunpuuska, Kiva Kirahvin kannustus
illustraded by Matias Teittinen
expert: Maija Nuorteva

New concept for teaching kids to understand their feelings. Three books about Rounders, animals drawn in round shapes. Similar to Angry Birds. Very important lessons to be learned even for adults. The books include questions, which you can ask your kids. Such as "How does it feel to get a compliment?" "Why was Piggy so upset, when Crab yelled at her?" Again I am making up the gender specific pronouns, since the Finnish language does not recognize genders. The books are suitable for boys and girls.

Giraffe's pep talk.
The Rounders do not know what to do. They came up with creating a show. Everyone performs with the skills they have. Shy Penguin does not know what to do. Giraffe helps them all.

Look at those round flamingos!

The skills learned here are the power of positive words, overcoming fear and finding own strengths.








Brawling Crabs anger burst
Crab is almost always in crappy mood. He snaps (In my mind, it's a he, it could be as well a she) at everyone and makes the gentler animals cry. Then he feels bad. Luckily Smart Elephant gives him advice so he still has friends.

Skills learned here: empathy, considering other's feelings, apologizing and forgiving.

Crab makes Puspus the Fish cry.

Sisu, the Fox, does not give up

Sisu (The Finnish word for guts, resilience and toughness) finds a treasure map and all the Rounders want to go and find it. On the way, there are many set back, but toghether they continue. At one point most get tired and want to give up, but not Sisu. 

The skills learned here: helping others, sharing and recilience

Sisu does not let the blizzard stop him.

Angry bag of Cat Killi

Tuula Korolainen 2007: Kissa Killin kiukkupussi
illustrated by Christel Rönns

Cat Killi has a temter tantrum as soon as he gets out of bed. Breakdast sucks and everything is wrong. The house elf gives him a bag, where he can blow his bad temper into.  Kiukkupussi in Finnish means also a person that has a bad temper.

Killi goes out doors and meets dog brothers who are arguing and after they blow into the bag, play nicely with each other. A sheep is fighting with his car and Killi helps him to be in a better mood. Finally Killi goes into a soccer match, where every one are shouting at each other. Killi's bag gets really big and it is punctured by a crane.




The lesson here is that kids are always taught to control their temper, but in this book it is the adults that need the control more then the kids. And how are the kids supposed to learn, when adults are throwing temper tantrums?

It is ridigulous, how the tempers rise in trafic and in sports events. It is as if our generation were not taught enough to deal with our feelings and then they explode in sports events and traffic. Parents, take a note and pay attention to your own behavoiur.