How Shared Reading Can Help Children Manage Their Emotions (24Oct23)

In 2022, Verbal developed a Shared Reading programme called Managing Difficult Emotions with the aim of helping children aged 6-9 years understand and manage their emotions. We designed this programme to be delivered by school teaching staff to provide schools with engaging resources to discuss mental wellbeing within the classroom. This programme was delivered in schools within the 2022-2023 academic year. 

We collected data before and after the programme to understand the mental health benefits of taking part in the Managing Difficult Emotions Shared Reading programme.

Data from 21 classes across Northern Ireland showed that mental wellbeing significantly improved in 43% of children after taking part in the programme and helped children to feel calmer. Improvements in wellbeing were highest for the youngest children in the programme.

The ability to understand and manage emotions also improved in 43% of children. Children particularly improved in their ability to recognise their emotions, regulate their emotions, and to empathise with others. Children were also less likely to be hurt by unkind words and were more likely to self-soothe when upset.

Programme feedback was positive from both children and teachers. Children enjoyed stories and accompanying illustrations, felt listened to during classroom discussions, and would take part in the programme again. Children learned lessons from stories such as being kind to themselves and others and what they should do when they are feeling overwhelmed. Teachers felt that stories were effective in providing mental health lessons that children could relate to, leading to important classroom discussions such as the importance of not bottling up emotions.

Our programme significantly improved mental wellbeing and helped children to understand and manage their emotions in a manner that they found enjoyable and could relate to. These findings indicate that Verbal’s programmes are effective in improving children’s mental health and wellbeing. Furthermore, they suggest that Shared Reading can both improve mental wellbeing and embed mental health knowledge and support directly within schools, helping to reduce stigma and to make mental health support more accessible.

Read the full report here.