Literacy Lessons for Little Learners: Tempering Big Feelings with How to Tantrum Like a Champion by Allan Wolf and Keisha Morris

At the Early Excellence Project, we know that books can be powerful tools for helping children understand, name, and manage their emotions. How to Tantrum Like a Champion: 10 Small Ways to Temper Big Feelings by Allan Wolf, with illustrations by Keisha Morris, is a playful and insightful picture book that teaches children that big feelings are normal, and that there are healthy ways to express and calm them.

Through rhythmic text and bright, expressive artwork, this book gives children permission to feel while offering strategies to self-regulate. It’s a perfect story to read aloud when little learners are navigating frustration, anger, or sadness.

In this post, we’ll explore literacy lessons that encourage children to connect with the story’s message while building key reading and comprehension skills.

Talking About Big Feelings

This book uses humor and honesty to show that everyone, kids and grown-ups alike, has tantrums sometimes. By naming emotions and giving them space, children learn that it’s okay to feel upset.

Start with These Questions:

• How do you feel when something doesn’t go your way?

• What are some signs that you are starting to feel upset?

• Why do you think it’s important to calm down after big feelings?

• What are some safe ways to show how you feel?

These questions help children connect their own experiences with the story, building emotional awareness and comprehension.

Building Vocabulary Through Emotions

The language in How to Tantrum Like a Champion introduces words that describe feelings and calming strategies.

Try These Vocabulary Activities:

• Emotion Words – Point out words like angry, stomp, breathe, calm, and peace. Talk about what they mean and act them out together.

• Feelings Faces – Draw faces that show different emotions (angry, sad, calm, happy). Ask your child to match the face with the word from the story.

• Word to Action – When you read a word like breathe, pause and practice taking deep breaths together.

These interactive activities make vocabulary meaningful and memorable.

Exploring Story Themes: Calming Strategies

The book shares small, practical steps for calming down when big feelings take over.

Discussion Questions:

• What are some of the ways the book shows children calming down?

• Which calming strategy would you like to try the next time you feel upset?

• How do you feel after you calm down from being angry or frustrated?

• Why is it important to practice calming down?

These conversations help children develop problem-solving skills and emotional regulation.

Creativity Through Art: My Calm-Down Plan

Art activities give children a chance to practice and personalize the story’s lessons.

Activity: “My Calm-Down Plan” Drawing

• Provide paper, crayons, or markers.

• Ask your child to draw themselves doing something that helps them feel calm (taking deep breaths, hugging a stuffed animal, listening to music).

• Add labels or words around the drawing to name each calming strategy.

This activity reinforces the idea that children can make choices about how they handle big feelings.

Reflection: Practicing Kindness with Ourselves

A key message in this book is that having big feelings doesn’t make you “bad,” it makes you human. Helping children learn self-kindness builds resilience.

Reflection Questions:

• What is something kind you can say to yourself when you’re upset?

• How can we help a friend who is having a tantrum or feeling angry?

• Why is it important to be patient with ourselves when we make mistakes?

These reflections nurture empathy, self-compassion, and social-emotional growth.

Helping Children Feel Heard and Understood

How to Tantrum Like a Champion is more than just a playful guide to tantrums, it’s a supportive tool for helping children recognize, express, and manage big emotions. By pairing literacy activities with conversations about feelings, you’re helping your little learner build both reading skills and emotional resilience.

We hope these literacy lessons spark meaningful conversations at home and give your child new strategies to handle big feelings with confidence. Stay tuned for next month’s book feature in our Literacy Lessons for Little Learners series, and as always, happy reading!