Have you ever used books to address classroom behaviors? If not, I’m here to tell you about the magic of story time and give you the perfect curated list to manage behaviors! Explore our selection of engaging read-alouds to support you, each tailored to address behaviors like listening, following directions, and voice levels. So what’re we waiting for? Let’s dive into this exciting list!
Links are provided so you can easily go directly to them on Amazon to check them out. Some are affiliate links which means I get commission if you buy from the links at no extra cost for you. Enjoy!!
General Misbehavior
Sometimes kids just don’t behave. These books are great for teaching children about appropriate behavior in the classroom.
- Miss Nelson is Missing is a great story about how a teacher comes up with an extremely clever way to get students to behave.
- No David is an amazing book to open up discussion on doing things you’re not supposed to do. Students love the humor in this story and it shows just why it’s so important to behave!
Tattling
Some classroom behaviors take up a lot of instructional time and tattling is one of them. It’s important for students to understand this and how it affects the entire classroom community.
- A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue is a great story that illustrates the difference between tattling and telling. It’s a clever and funny story that shows the impact of what too much tattling can do.
- Don’t Squeal Unless It’s a Big Deal is very entertaining book that shows students when it’s appropriate to tell on their classmates and when they can simply solve their own problems.
Speaking of solving their own problems, I LOVE getting hands on to help students be their own problem solvers. Check it our Conflict Resolution and Problem Solving Activities here!
Conflict Resolution
Since we’re on the topic of conflict resolution, I had to share two of my favorite books for this topic.
- A Bug and A Wish is a great story that teaches students how to solve problems in a creative way. The resources shared above has an awesome activity to go with this book and you’ll be amazed at how well your students began to resolve issues in the classroom!
- Talk and Work It Out shows that the best way to solve problems is to talk them over and work things out. During reading, students learn to calm themselves, state the problem, listen, think of solutions, try one, evaluate results, and even agree to disagree when a solution isn’t possible.
Bullying
Unfortunately bullying can be a big problem among students. It’s our job to ensure students are safe and that our classroom is one where being a bully isn’t ever tolerated. These books are great to open up discussion about this very serious issue.
- The Juice Box Bully encourages students to be kind and never stoop down to a bully’s level. It’s good to open the conversation about bullying, standing up, and doing your part to stop this behavior.
- My Secret Bully is a great book that talks about how sometimes our “friends” can be an emotional bully. It’s about a girl who has a friend that she loves to be around when she’s nice, but others times she can be really mean. She finds a trusted adult, her mom, to help her work through this issue.
It’s important to note that many of these serious classroom behaviors can affect student’s mental health, especially bullying. That is why I began doing mental health checks with my students so I can ensure they feel our classroom is a safe place to be. You can grab it for FREE below!
Speaking Up
Speaking up is a skill that can change the world. These books help encourage students to speak up and stand up for things they believe in.
- Say Something is an amazing book that helps show students the importance of standing up for others and speaking up. It’s an absolutely essential skill that is SO needed right now in our country’s climate. We have to teach students to always do the right thing, even when it’s hard and scary. This book can help students find their voice and understand how important it is to SPEAK UP.
- Speak Up is a book featuring a diverse group of kids who uncover countless ways to speak their minds and be heard! Whether it’s cheering for a sweet surprise or standing up against unfair rules, these youngsters prove that even small gestures can create big ripples of kindness.
Saying Sorry
Apologizing can be so hard for students and it’s important to explicit teaching students that it’s more than mumbling sorry and walking away.
- Zach Apologizes is a book that teaches children social skills using a strategy presented as the “four-square” apology: 1 – say what you did; 2 – name how it made the other person feel; 3 – say what you could’ve done instead; and 4 – make it up to the person.
- How To Apologize is a super cute and funny book full of practical tips about when, why, and how to say you’re sorry. Students absolutely love this one!
Being Different
Do you have students that struggle with being different? These books are great to read aloud to help boost their confidence!
- Elmer is an adorable story about a multi colored elephant that is tired of standing out. He goes to great lengths to be just like everyone else but then learns it’s better to just be himself.
- What If We All Were The Same is another great book that teaches students that being different should be celebrated. It’s a great read to help students embrace what makes us special.
Being Yourself
Just as important as learning to embrace our differences, it’s a confidence builder when you learn to just be yourself. These books are perfect for helping students understand that being you, quirks and all, is the best thing you can do for yourself and others.
- Bird Boy is a story about a boy, Nico, who gets bullied and labeled as “bird boy”. Throughout the story, he makes friends and kids begin to learn how to appreciate him for who he is. In turn, Nico realizes that he can express himself fully and it’s a really good thing to do so!
- Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon is another great book that students that it’s ok to be themselves. It teaches students how to stand up for themselves and to be brave.
Interrupting and Blurting Out
Let’s face it, as a teacher it’s inevitable to have to deal with students interrupting and blurting out. I love reading both of these stories to help get this classroom behavior down.
- My Mouth is a Volcano is such a fun book to teach students about learning how know appropriate times to speak, or as this book puts it to calm their ‘volcano mouths’.
- Interrupting Chicken is a hilarious story about a chicken that cannot seem to stop interrupting her bedtime story. It’s a fun book that opens discussions for students about using their voice at the right times.
If you want more strategies to help with students blurting out, check out THIS post to learn how to stop it!
Voice Levels
Some kids just don’t realize how loud their voice is, or how to control that, and some explicit teaching is sometimes all they need. These books are great read alouds to reinforce voice level management in the classroom.
- Decibella and Her 6 Inch Voice is a great book for teaching kids about volume control and to have discussions about inside vs. outside voices. It’s also a lot of fun to practice the 5 voice levels in the book while reading to truly demonstrate what they should sound like.
- Voices Are Not For Yelling is a great book that teaches students that their voice is a powerful tool but HOW they use it is up to them.
One of my favorite hacks to really get this classroom behavior under control is to display exactly what our voice levels should be at during our school day. Check it out below and grab it HERE! You can also check out 5 Tips to Master Voice Level Management.
Editable Voice Level Management Posters
Overly Chatty
Along the lines of voice levels in the classroom, sometimes students are just plain chatty! There are many ways to calm a chatty class and these books are a great place to start!
- Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker is a great read aloud to show students the importance of listening, rather than constantly talking.
- I Don’t Want To Be Quiet is a great book about a girl who simply doesn’t want to be quiet, until she learns just how much fun it can be to not make a sound.
Having Manners
Do you ever feel like your students have totally forgotten their manners? Use these books to help remind them of these crucial skills!
- Do Unto Otters is an adorable story, featuring my favorite animals, that highlights how to be a good friend and neighbor by using the Golden Rule!
- Achoo: Good Manners Can Be Contagious is an amusing story when a little girl Suzy gets taught good manner by some farm animals after she sneezes and doesn’t cover her mouth. Students will love being reminded of all the manners they may have forgotten in the classroom!
Perfectionism
Do you have students who struggle with perfectionism? It’s definitely a classroom behavior that presents itself year after year and sometimes it can hinder a student’s success. These are great books to help students overcome this challenge.
- The Good Egg is a great story that shows the pressure one can feel when they’re trying to always be so perfect. It’s a really good book that students who struggle with this can relate to and be encouraged to find a better balance.
- The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes is a wonderful book that promotes mistake making, especially for those students who tend to want things to be perfect. This book aims to help all students know it is OK and EXPECTED that we make mistakes! After all, we’re only human.
Respecting Personal Space
Some kids have a very hard time respecting personal space. They don’t understand when they are in someone’s “bubble” because they just want to be close to those they love. However, this isn’t an appropriate classroom behavior and students must learn boundaries. These two books are great to help illustrate this topic.
- Personal Space Camp is a cute story, with a space theme, that teaches about personal space. It is funny and engaging and students will love it.
- Personal Space Invader is another great story about learning to respect people’s physical boundaries. Students will learn a cute strategy to know how much space is appropriate – arms out front, ‘then out real wide’.
Sitting Still
Doesn’t it feel like there’s something about the classroom that causes kids to constantly have the wiggles? Sitting still can be extremely hard for some students and we have to figure out how to help them. I like to start with these books.
- I Have Ants In My Pants is a book about a boy who just can’t seem to get his wiggles out no matter what. How much would it help them to hear a story about someone with the same struggle and understand that this is OK while hearing ways to cope with it?
- Sit Still is a funny and inspirational story that speaks to squirmy kids. Kids will love to hear about how Patrick’s mom comes up with ideas to help him.
Even with these stories, sometimes the wiggles still take over. That is why I began using flexible seating in my classroom and it has been a GAME CHANGER. Check out everything I’ve learned so YOU can implement it smoothly without any hassle by reading The Ultimate Flexible Seating Guide! It’s full of the best tips and tricks to transition to flex seating in the classroom.
Listening
- Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen is one of my favorite books to help students understand the importance of listening to others. It’s a funny book and relatable and we have great discussions afterward.
- Listen Buddy is another great book that teaching about listening. Buddy has HUGE ears, but still has a hard time being a good listener. It’s a hilarious story that brings up very good discussion about this topic.
Impulsive Behavior
This behavior hits home for me because my son struggles with this one. We do a lot to help him control this and these books have helped us talk about the consequences of this behaviors – especially when he’s displaying it in his classroom.
- What if Everybody Did That? is a great story that captures the bigger picture of how our actions affect others at and beyond school. It challenges them to see how we collectively we can make a positive impact on our world.
- Out Of Control Rhino by is about an impulsive rhino who gets a bit too excited about things and can’t control herself. She meets a friend who helps her learn to “stop, think, and wink”.
Anger
Anger is a big emotion that can be very hard to deal with at times. You can use these books as a great tool to help start getting it under control.
- Zach Gets Frustrated is a story about a boy who gets so frustrated that it turns into anger. His dad steps in and teaches him a 3 step approach to dealing with it.
- Cool Down and Work Through Anger is a great story to help kids learn to recognize their anger, express it, and how to cope with it.
Stealing
We might hear some kids yelling out “finder’s keepers” but sometimes it spills over into the realm of stealing. Check out these books to help bring up important conversations about this serious behavior.
- Ricky Sticky Fingers is a book that aims to illustrate for kids that taking things that don’t belong to them can hurt others and doesn’t feel good. This can be a sensitive subject and hard to talk about so it’s perfect for starting a conversation in class about empathy and why it’s crucial to always do the right thing.
- A Bike Like Sergio’s is a story about a boy who doesn’t technically steal anything, but it brings up discussion on finders keepers and what is the right thing to do.
Lying
Lying is a behavior no one should get comfortable with. These stories help students understand how this affects everyone.
- Lying Up A Storm shows how lying can make you feel not so great and that it can ultimately lead to bigger and bigger lies. This causes a whole other dilemma because you have to remember all your lies and it’s a terrible spot to be in.
- A Little Spot of Honesty is a part of the Little Spot book series that helps students deal with all kinds of big emotions. It shows how being honest helps build relationships and how it encourages others to be honest with you.
Perseverance
Helping students build a growth mindset and persevere through difficult things is a crucial life skill. There are so many amazing books to help with these but these are just a couple we love to use.
- I Can Do Hard Things is awesome for helping students build self confidence. It provides the vocabulary of YET, which is such a powerful mindset. It opens up discussions about being able to do any and all things they put their minds towards.
- Jabari Jumps is an adorable story about a boy who pushes past the fear of jumping off the diving board. His dad does a beautiful job of helping him navigating through not giving up.
Worrying
Some kids already have anxiety and it’s not a fun emotion to have to deal with. Worrying about things is normal, but OVERLY worrying can be detrimental.
- Wemberly Worried is a story about a mouse that worries about EVERYTHING. In the book she meets another big worrier and they both realize that there is a lot of fun to be had when you’re not worried.
- The Worrywarts is another great story about worrying too much and has a lot of alliteration to keep kids engaged. It shows how life is a lot better when you simply live.
Overcoming Shyness
Sometimes being too shy can hinder students from participating, making friends, or expressing themselves. While we won’t want to push kids to go too far from their comfort zone, showing them that opening up isn’t always a scary thing.
- The Invisible Boy is a beautiful story about how acts of kindness can help turn an invisible boy into a friend. Sometimes shy kids don’t get noticed because they’re so quiet, but when someone takes the time to know them they’d be in for a sweet treat.
- Too Shy for Show and Tell is a story about a giraffe that is so scared to participate in show and tell because he’s shy. It’s a great book that shows how you can overcome this fear and step out of your comfort zone.
Sharing
Sharing is a crucial social skill that can be difficult for little learners. These books are great to help open the discussion.
- The Selfish Crocodile is about a crocodile that scares away all the other animals from the river because they are so selfish. Then one day the crocodile needs help and realizes that maybe sharing is actually a better way to live.
- Mine – o – Saur is a story about a dinosaur that thinks everything is “mine, mine, mine”. It’s a funny and engaging story that almost all kids can relate to and helps to solve the problem revolving around sharing.
Kindness
- Each Kindness is an amazing story that teaches students that even small acts of kindness can have a HUGE impact. It also touches on how bullying can really hurt in ways we don’t understand.
- How Full Is Your Bucket is a great book that provides a creative metaphor for students to see how their actions impact others. Using this language helps students understand others’ feelings that can be used for the entire year.
If you loved this book list, check out these other posts with more amazing books for back to school, diversity, and social emotional learning!
20ish Awesome Read Alouds to Foster Social Emotional Learning
Ultimate List of Books to Celebrate Diversity
25 Awesome Back to School Read Alouds
All of these behaviors start with great social emotional learning. Check out how we master all these skills and more with this growing bundle! When you purchase, anything added will be yours for FREE with a simple re-download. Grab it below!
Social Emotional Growing Bundle
I really hope you enjoyed learning more about some awesome books to help with classroom behavior! God more amazing read alouds you love to share with your students? Drop them in the comments below to share! Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list! You will get the most up to date tips, tricks, and classroom projects… and of course more fun FREEBIES including Daily Mental Health Check In DIGITAL FREEBIE! You will also have exclusive access to tons of digital how to videos! If you would like to learn about this and other things happening in my classroom follow me @sweetnsauerfirsties on Instagram.
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