Emotional Explorers: A Creative Approach to Managing Emotions

An activity book for teachers and parents that helps kids discover their emotional lives.

What corners of planet Earth have you explored? What parts of your inner planet have you gotten to know? Are there parts you haven't visited? Excursions into the desert, jungle, and other real-life landscapes become exercises in self-knowledge in this revolutionary approach to teaching kids emotional and ecological health.

Through collage art, group activities, stories, and questions for reflection, children will learn how to explore and take risks; how to name and banish their dragons; how to set, maintain, and respect boundaries; and to experience how the unjust distribution of Earth's resources affects other living things. To embark on this voyage, children must have suitable “luggage” and hunt for treasures and find them.

Teachers and parents will have fun helping kids discover and nurture the rich diversity and connectivity of their inner and outer worlds.

Maria Mercè Conangla and Jaume Soler are psychologists and creators of Fundació Àmbit (Institute for Personal Growth), Barcelona, a nonprofit organization that since 1996 has provided training in personal growth and emotional education. They teach at the University of Barcelona.