The Power of Stories:Teaching Life Lessons

Have you ever read a book and felt like it was your life story? Stories have the power to teach valuable life lessons without a lecture. I love using stories in the classroom or in therapy to teach kids coping skills when life seems to get out of control.

As I browse my local library or book story,  I search for books with flawed heroes, relatable problems, multiple dysfunctional characters, and great decision making (at least by the end of the book). At one time or another, we all believe that we are the only person experiencing  a particular problem. Even if we aren’t willing to talk to someone else, stories show us that there have been others who have gone through something similar and how they handled it. For this post, I’ve listed some of my favorite books that I use on a regular basis to teach kids how to deal with anxiety, depression, anger, mistakes, friendship, and many other life lessons. 

Now, not all stories are created equally, and some-inadvertently- reinforce inappropriate behavior. For example, I love most of the Little Critter series by Mercer Mayer, but “All by Myself” illustrates some poor decision making by a child and his parents. At first, it seems like a great book to encourage independence among small children, but then the little critter starts doing activities that he shouldn’t be doing. His parents stand in the background with worried expressions. As a counselor, I’m trying to empower my clients’ parents to establish boundaries and be assertive parents, and I want the stories that I use to reinforce that as well. 

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Stories with Life Lessons

Pete the Cat by James Dean and Eric Litwin 

Although I’m not a cat person, I would chill  any day of the week with Pete the Cat, and I have yet to meet child who doesn’t like this groovy cat. Someday, I may do a whole post on life lessons from Pete the Cat. Pete overcomes anything that life throws at him, and does Pete cry? Goodness no!  Pete teaches kids that bad things will happen, but you keep going and keep trying because- at the end of the day- life is good. Personally, Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes is one of my favorites.

As much as I love Pete, pay attention to some of the newer Pete the Cat books as some of them focus on academic lessons more so then life lessons. 

Discussion Questions:

• What happened to Pete the Cat?
• What did he do?
• Did he get angry/sad?
• Has this ever happened to you?
• What did you do?
• What could you do instead?

The Pigeon Series by Mo Williams

I was introduced to the Pigeon on the same day I was introduced to Pete, and I wasn’t a fan of Pigeon at first. I thought he was one of those stories that reinforces bad behaviors. The Pigeon is the opposite of Pete, because Pigeon always loses his mind and has a huge meltdown at some point in the story. However, Pigeon has become very endearing to me, because kids understand the frustration of Pigeon but also recognize why Pigeon is being denied what he wants.Kids understand why a pigeon can’t drive a bus or shouldn’t stay up late. In addition, they recognize how the Pigeon’s reaction is not appropriate to the situation, so I use the Pigeon to illustrate why adults sometimes have to deny kids their desires and discuss how we can respond to an upsetting situation.  I also ask kids to point how their meltdowns are similar to Pigeon’s meltdowns. 

Discussion Questions:

• Should Pigeon be allowed to do _____(depends on the book)?
• Have your parents ever told you couldn’t do something?
• Have you ever gotten upset like Pigeon?
• What could you have done instead?

The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

Can you tell I like books in a series? I prefer to use series because it allows kids to see these characters deal with multiple life situations. Although Disney has probably published hundreds of Winnie the Pooh books, I love the original stories by Milne. Pooh’s stories happen within a community and all the characters have their own struggles- Pooh has an eating disorder; Piglet has an anxiety disorder; Rabbit is OCD; Owl is narcissistic; Eeyore has depression; and Tigger has ADHD. All of the characters face different challenges and deal with them in their unique way, an essential life lesson for kids.

Discussion Questions:

Honestly, it depends on the topic. Winnie the Pooh stories teach so many different lessons and help kids see different points of view.

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

Well, here is stand alone book that I love. This story poses a question. What if everyone just gave up? Duncan’s crayons write him letters venting their frustration. Once Duncan knows about his crayon frustrations, he comes up with a solution. It’s a great way to start a discussion with kids about what upsets them.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever felt like one of the crayons? Which one?
• Have you ever felt like quitting? 
• What upsets you?
• How can you let someone know you’re upset?
• What can you do instead?

Create your own

Sometimes, a situation occurs, and you don’t have a book for that particular life lesson. When I was a nanny for a three year old, I started telling him stories of a little boy named Patrick and his dragon Justice. My Patrick and Justice stories always aligned with a problem my little friend was facing, and they helped calm him down. I never wanted a bad guy in my stories because I wanted Patrick and Justice’s life lessons to deal with solving problems, making mistakes, and asking for forgiveness. Although I’ve been asked about writing my stories down, I’ve only authored one book. For my friend’s 5th birthday, I bought a blank children’s book and illustrated one of the stories I had told him before bed one night.  Because it was definitely a work of love rather than talent, most of my stories will continue to be verbally told. However, my little friend does love his personalized story and wants a sequel.