Lunch & Learn - Therapeutic Use of Picture Books: Reading as Social Emotional Learning

• This session will explore the roots of reading aloud from an educational and therapeutic perspective. We will explore why caregivers and counselors read to children and how to use books to build empathy and emotional literacy. We will explore easy ways to help children develop emotional vocabulary by finding new ways to read books. Finally, playing can be hard for grownups. Playing through reading is an easy way to get caregivers engaged with their children’s emotional development.
• This session will explore the roots of reading aloud from an educational and therapeutic perspective. We will explore why caregivers and counselors read to children and how it helps develop literacy skills. Using bibliotherapy, we will explore how to build empathy and emotional literacy. We will tie emotional vocabulary development to curiosity as we explore feelings words. We will also use looking and listening carefully. We will re-examine classic books to find new ways to read them. Finally, playing can be hard for grownups. Playing through reading is an easy way to get caregivers engaged with their children’s emotional development.

Our facilitator: Katie Thomas, LMHC