Stories That TeachEmpathy & Kindness
Create illustrated social emotional learning stories that help children understand their feelings, build empathy, and develop the social skills they need to thrive.
- Stories about feelings, empathy, kindness, and friendship
- Characters that look like your child or students
- 50+ gentle art styles perfect for emotional topics
- Print-ready PDFs for home and classroom
50,000+
Stories Created
10,000+
Active Creators
50+
Art Styles
4.9/5
User Rating
Create an SEL Story in 3 Easy Steps
From emotional scenario to illustrated story — ready for bedtime or circle time in minutes.
Create Relatable Characters
Describe a child character your kids will connect with — their appearance, their personality. When children see themselves in the story, the emotional lessons land deeper.
"Mia: 6-year-old girl with brown curly hair and glasses, wears a purple dress, shy but very observant"
Describe an Emotional Scenario
Write about a situation involving feelings — a child feeling left out, two friends in a disagreement, someone scared of the dark. The AI turns it into a warm, illustrated narrative.
"Mia sees a new boy sitting alone at lunch. She feels nervous but decides to sit next to him and share her crackers..."
Read, Discuss & Print
Choose a gentle art style, generate the illustrated pages, then read together. Pause at key moments to ask "How do you think they feel?" Export as PDF for your shelf or classroom.
Choose Watercolor style → Generate → Discuss feelings → Download & print!
Stories for Every Feeling
Help children name and understand emotions through stories they can see and feel.
Story Ideas for Social Emotional Learning
Create stories around the core SEL competencies that help children develop emotional intelligence.
Understanding Feelings
Help children name and recognize emotions — happy, sad, scared, excited, frustrated. When kids can label what they feel, they can begin to understand themselves and communicate with others.
Learning Empathy
Stories where characters notice how others feel and respond with care. "How would you feel if...?" — teaching children to step into someone else's shoes through illustrated scenarios.
Managing Big Emotions
When anger, worry, or sadness feels overwhelming, what can we do? Stories about breathing techniques, counting to ten, and finding calm — giving children real tools for self-regulation.
Making Friends
The first day at school, joining a game, saying sorry after a fight. Illustrated stories about the ups and downs of friendship that help children navigate social situations with confidence.
Being Kind & Inclusive
Stories about including the new kid, standing up for a friend, and small acts of kindness that make a big difference. Teaching children that everyone deserves to feel welcome.
Handling Conflict
Two friends want the same toy. Someone said something hurtful. How do we solve problems without fighting? Stories that model healthy conflict resolution and compromise.
SEL Story Gallery
See how parents, teachers, and counselors create illustrated stories that teach emotional skills.
Gentle Styles Perfect for Emotional Stories
Soft watercolors, warm storybook art, calming pastels — set the right emotional tone for every story.
Everything You Need for SEL Storytelling
C2Story gives parents, teachers, and counselors the tools to create meaningful emotional learning stories.
Emotion-Rich Stories
Create stories centered around specific emotions — joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise. Each story helps children identify and name what they're feeling.
50+ Gentle Art Styles
Soft watercolors, warm storybook illustrations, calming pastels — choose art styles that create a safe, nurturing atmosphere for emotional conversations.
Relatable Characters
Create characters that look like your child or students. When kids see themselves in the story, the SEL lessons feel personal and meaningful.
Discussion Prompts Built In
Each story naturally creates moments to pause and ask "How do you think they feel?" or "What would you do?" — turning reading time into SEL time.
Print for Home & Classroom
Export print-ready PDFs for home libraries, classroom reading corners, or counselor offices. Physical books kids can hold and revisit whenever they need comfort.
Personalize Any Lesson
Dealing with a new sibling? Starting a new school? Create a story about that exact situation. Personalized SEL stories are more impactful than generic ones.
What Parents & Educators Say
“My 5-year-old was struggling with anger. I made a story about a dragon learning to breathe when frustrated. Now whenever she gets mad, she says "I need to do dragon breaths!" It actually works.”
Self-regulation story
“As a school counselor, I create personalized SEL stories for kids going through tough situations — divorce, moving, bullying. Having a story with a character who looks like them makes such a difference.”
School counselor
“We read a story about a child feeling left out at recess, then talked about how our class could be more inclusive. The kids came up with their own ideas. Way more effective than a lecture.”
Classroom SEL lesson
“My shy son started a new school and I made a story about a boy making his first friend. He asked to read it every night for a month. It gave him the courage to actually talk to a classmate.”
Social skills & friendship
SEL Stories FAQ
Social Emotional Learning Stories — Illustrated SEL Books for Children
Looking for a way to teach children about emotions, empathy, and social skills? C2Story lets you create beautiful social emotional learning stories — illustrated books that help children understand their feelings, build healthy relationships, and develop the emotional intelligence they need to thrive at home and school.
SEL stories are one of the most effective ways to teach emotional skills to young children. When kids see a character who looks like them navigating a tricky social situation — feeling left out, managing anger, or showing kindness to a stranger — they internalize the lesson far more deeply than from a lecture or worksheet. C2Story makes it easy to create these emotional intelligence stories for kids with AI-powered illustrations in minutes.
Whether you're a parent looking for feelings books for children, a teacher building a classroom SEL curriculum, or a counselor creating personalized stories for kids dealing with anxiety, grief, or social challenges — C2Story gives you the tools to create exactly the right story. Choose from 50+ art styles including soft watercolors, warm storybook illustrations, and calming pastels that set the perfect emotional tone.
Create consistent characters with C2Story's Character Library, so your child or students see themselves in every story. Build a whole series of SEL picture books — one about feelings, another about friendship, another about bravery. Export as print-ready PDFs for your home bookshelf, classroom library, or counselor's office. Start creating your social emotional learning stories free today — no credit card required.