Help! My Feelings Are Too Big: Making Sense of Yourself and Your Emotions

Help! My Feelings Are Too Big by K.L. Aspden is a warm, practical workbook for children and young people who struggle to understand, name, or manage their emotions. Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, this accessible and engaging book gives children the tools they need to make sense of what they are feeling and why — and to develop strategies for coping when emotions become overwhelming.

Many children find it difficult to identify and express their feelings. For some, emotions can feel intense, confusing, or completely out of control. Whether a child experiences anxiety, anger, sadness, or a swirl of feelings they cannot name, this book offers a safe and supportive way to explore their inner world. Written with warmth and clarity, it meets children where they are and gently guides them towards greater self-understanding and emotional resilience.

What This Book Covers

Working through a combination of explanations, activities, and reflection exercises, the book helps children:

• Identify and name a wide range of emotions
• Understand why feelings happen and what triggers them
• Recognise how emotions feel in their body
• Develop practical coping strategies for managing big or overwhelming feelings
• Build emotional vocabulary and self-awareness over time
• Feel less alone with difficult emotions

For Schools and SENCOs

• An effective resource for one-to-one pastoral support, ELSA sessions, and small-group emotional literacy work
• Supports whole-school approaches to mental health and wellbeing in line with the DfE's guidance on promoting children's mental health in schools
• Useful across EYFS, KS1, KS2, and KS3 depending on the child's developmental stage and emotional literacy level
• Complements EHCP and SEN support plans where emotional regulation is identified as an area of need
• Can be used by SENCOs, learning mentors, ELSAs, school counsellors, and pastoral leads

For Parents and Carers

• Written in plain, child-friendly language that children can engage with independently or alongside a trusted adult
• Helps parents support children who struggle to talk about how they feel
• Practical activities and exercises that can be worked through at home at the child's own pace
• A reassuring and non-judgemental approach that validates children's experiences
• Useful for children going through change, difficulty, or transition, as well as those with longer-term emotional regulation challenges

Why Emotional Literacy Matters

Research consistently shows that children who can identify and manage their emotions are better equipped to learn, build relationships, and cope with life's challenges. Yet many children — particularly those with SEND, anxiety, or a history of adverse experiences — find emotional regulation genuinely difficult. Help! My Feelings Are Too Big addresses this need directly, offering a child-led, activity-based approach that builds emotional literacy gradually and safely.

The book is particularly useful for children who experience emotional dysregulation as part of a broader profile of need, including those with anxiety, ADHD, autism, attachment difficulties, or general SEND. It does not require a diagnosis to be helpful — any child who finds their feelings hard to manage will benefit from working through it.

Stocked by The Dyslexia Shop, a specialist UK retailer supporting children, families, and educators with learning differences and neurodevelopmental needs since 2001.

• Child-led and activity-based: Engages children through activities and reflection rather than passive reading, making it more likely to produce lasting change.
• Works at home and at school: Equally suitable for use by parents at home and by SENCOs, ELSAs, or pastoral staff in school settings.
• No diagnosis required: Helpful for any child who struggles with big feelings, not just those with a formal diagnosis or EHCP.
• Warm, non-clinical tone: Written to be accessible and reassuring for children, without the clinical language that can feel distancing or stigmatising.
• Supplied by The Dyslexia Shop: A trusted UK specialist retailer supporting educators, families, and learners with neurodevelopmental needs.

Delivery and Returns

This book is dispatched from The Dyslexia Shop's UK warehouse. Standard and express delivery options are available at checkout. Returns are accepted within 30 days of purchase in line with our standard returns policy. Please contact us if your order arrives damaged or incorrect.

• What is Help! My Feelings Are Too Big about?
  Help! My Feelings Are Too Big by K.L. Aspden is a practical workbook helping children understand, name, and manage their emotions. It uses activities and reflection exercises to build emotional literacy and coping strategies for children who experience big, overwhelming, or confusing feelings. It is suitable for use at home and in school.
• Who is this book suitable for?
  This book is suitable for children and young people who struggle to identify or manage their emotions, as well as the parents, carers, SENCOs, ELSAs, and teachers supporting them. It does not require a formal diagnosis — it is helpful for any child who finds their feelings hard to handle, including those with anxiety, ADHD, autism, attachment difficulties, or general SEND.
• What age range is this book for?
  The book is designed for children of primary and lower secondary school age. It can be used flexibly depending on the child's developmental stage and emotional literacy level, making it relevant across EYFS, KS1, KS2, and into KS3.
• How does this book help children with emotional regulation?
  The book guides children through understanding what emotions are, why they happen, and how they feel in the body. It provides practical coping strategies for managing overwhelming feelings and builds emotional vocabulary over time. The activity-based format means children engage actively with the content rather than simply reading about it.
• Can this book be used in school by a SENCO or ELSA?
  Yes. The book is well suited to one-to-one pastoral support, ELSA sessions, and small-group emotional literacy work in school. It supports whole-school approaches to mental health and wellbeing and complements EHCP and SEN support plans where emotional regulation is identified as an area of need. It can be used by SENCOs, learning mentors, ELSAs, school counsellors, and pastoral leads.
• Can parents use this book at home with their child?
  Yes. The book is written in child-friendly language and can be worked through independently by children or alongside a parent or carer. Activities are practical and straightforward, making it easy to use at home without specialist training. It is particularly helpful for children who find it difficult to talk about how they feel.
• Is this book suitable for children with SEND?
  Yes. While the book does not require a diagnosis to be useful, it is particularly well suited to children whose SEND profile includes emotional dysregulation, anxiety, or difficulty with self-awareness. It is relevant for children with ADHD, autism, attachment difficulties, and general learning differences, as well as those without a formal diagnosis who simply find their feelings hard to manage.
• Is this book suitable for children going through a difficult time or transition?
  Yes. As well as supporting children with longer-term emotional regulation challenges, the book is useful for children going through significant change or difficulty, such as family changes, bereavement, moving school, or friendship difficulties. Its activity-based approach gives children a structured way to process and make sense of what they are experiencing.
• How quickly will my order arrive?
  Orders are dispatched from our UK warehouse. Standard delivery typically takes 2 to 5 working days. Express delivery options are available at checkout. You will receive a dispatch confirmation email once your order has been sent.