Let Your Feelings Flow Our feelings flow like rivers. We can stop and watch them go by. Understanding your feelings doesn’t mean trying to control or change them—it means noticing them and letting them pass. Rabbit learns from Fish that everyone has unkind thoughts sometimes, especially when they are hungry, tired, or scared. Fish explains that feelings are like a flowing river: they come and go on their own. Together, they show that having the self-awareness to accept those feelings without judgment helps prevent harm and allows kindness to return naturally. Let Your Feelings Flow, along with the four other stories in SEL Collection 1, uses the timeless power of the fable to provide a framework for exploring feelings through listening, observing, guided discussions, and self-expression. All stories highlight all five core SEL competencies, helping children to discover how to navigate the world and grow with and in support of others. Charming animal characters invite children into the stories, letting reflection and learning flow naturally. The Instructional Practice Literature-Based Discovery: Through Rabbit and Fish's conversation, children observe that they don’t have to control or judge their emotions, and that they’ll grow and change on their own. Social-Emotional Connection: By sharing their own emotions, children build self-understanding and empathy while exploring how their own feelings connect to those of the characters. Vocabulary Integration: Using Key Idea Words, children develop emotional literacy by finding, acting out, and writing about words that give shape and meaning to their inner lives. Active Inquiry: Guided discussion, collaborative storytelling, and creative activities inspire children to learn from one another as they discover the importance of recognizing and understanding their feelings, rather than trying to control them.
