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Berenstain Bears Adults can help children understand their emotions
By Jessica Taylor

As the holidays come to a close and children head back to school, many of them will confront jealousy in some form or another.

Often times, children will talk to each other about the gifts they received or even bring them to school for show-and-tell. Young children have a tendency to become envious of other children's toys and games.

This month, the characters on The Berenstain Bears and Seven Little Monsters learn about envy and how to handle this powerful emotion.

By viewing these new episodes with your child and talking together about his or her feelings, you can help your child tackle the "green-eyed monster."

View

In The Berenstain Bears, Brother and Sister Bear complain about not having as many things as their friends do. When a storm knocks the out power in the tree house, Mama and Papa Bear teach the cubs how to "Count Their Blessings." Tuesday, January 7 at 9 a.m.

Sister Bear becomes jealous when Brother Bear gets a brand-new, three-speed racer. She decides to sneak a ride on it. After a near accident, Papa and Brother help Sister Bear conquer "The Green-Eyed Monster." Friday, January 31 at 9 a.m.

The Seven Little Monsters decide to switch houses with their uncle, who lives in a giant mansion, so that they can each have their own room. They soon learn, however, that there is "No Place Like Home" and how to appreciate what they already have. Monday, January 20 at 9 a.m.

"I'm Lucky Because..." Book
One way to help children conquer jealousy is to teach them how to appreciate what they do have, instead of what they don't. You can help a child in your life do this by creating a book that shows everything they are lucky to have.

What You'll Need:

Construction paper
Crayons, markers or paint
Old magazines
Yarn
Three-hole punch

Instructions: Ask your child to think of all the things that he or she is lucky to have. Next, help your child draw pictures of all these things. Be creative, using crayons, finger paint, glitter, buttons, magazine clippings and any other materials you have around the house.

Once your child is finished drawing the pictures, help him or her put three holes in each piece of paper. Connect the pages together with the yarn to create your child's very own book.

Keep this book handy, perhaps in your child's room. The next time that your child feels jealous of someone, sit with him or her and look through the book. By reminding your child of all that they have, they will begin to develop the skills necessary to understand and handle jealous feelings.

Read

A Mile from Ellington Station by Tim Egan Preston becomes jealous of Marley when Marley beats him in checkers, ending his 992-game winning streak. Preston decides to turn the town of Ellington against Marley by spreading rumors about him, but will he succeed? Recommended for school-aged children.

What About Me? by Helen Stephens Charlie, a toy cat, is jealous when all of his friends pay extra attention to the new toy kitten in town, Arthur. As Charlie struggles with his feelings, he learns that it's better to be friends than to be the center of attention. Recommended for pre-school aged children and younger.

Angelina on Stage by Katharine Holabird In this story, Angelina's little cousin Henry loves to try to copy Angelina's dance steps. Soon, both Angelina and Henry get invited to perform in a grown-up musical, but Angelina becomes jealous of all the attention Henry is getting. Recommended for preschool aged and school-aged children.