There are those moments after a busy morning in preschool when a young child might be feeling a bit tired and when they feel this way, they might perhaps feel a bit overwhelmed. Little children also sometimes talk about missing their parents when they feel this way.
Young children do need a balance between active play, gross motor movement, time to run, jump, bounce, create, and also having times to be quiet, calm, mindful, and take a few deep breaths. Every child is different and will have different needs, but for those little ones who benefit from some moments to be calm and relaxed after a busy morning, I’ve had many requests by them for repeat readings of the beautiful storybook ‘Don’t You Feel Well, Sam?’ by Amy Hest, illustrated by Anita Jerman and published by Walker Books.
Being able to identify with the emotions and feelings of the character in a story is an important part of emotional development in young children. (Sunderland, 2001) When young children repeatedly ask for the same story to be read to them over and over again, besides enjoying the story and the pictures, they are also processing emotions and quietly identifying with feelings they might have in common with the character in a story. (Sunderland, M. (2001) Using Story Telling as a Therapeutic Tool with Children).
Tired little ones love this simple story line that they can easily remember and help to tell. They readily identify with Sam, the little bear character in the story who isn’t feeling well, who doesn’t want to be left on his own but wants the comfort of a hug from his mother. They can all remember a time when they too didn’t feel well and had to be brave and take some medicine just like Sam the little bear in the story. This is also a great book to have on the bookshelf for repeat reading around the time of year when snow is expected, as these experiences are so new to young children and very exciting. They can all identify with the feeling of excitement and anticipation of waiting for snow, of also finding to hard to wait a long time.