The Kissing Hand-Family Book

One of my favorite books to read at the beginning of the school year is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. In the story we meet Chester Raccoon who is scared of going to a new school and leaving his mother behind. Students instantly relate to him because they may also be having the same feelings as Chester Raccoon. I read this book to my students at the beginning of school year. It helps my students understand their feelings, change, and being away from home.  

The Kissing Hand Family Book (Printable and Digital) 

This year I have decided to not only read this book to my students but incorporate it into the classroom. For years, I have had a family tree in the classroom or pictures of families displayed in my family somehow. This is why I created the Kissing Hand Family Book. This book involves the participation of the families in your classroom. This book is editable in powerpoint as well as Google Slides.

The first page of the book is the cover page with tittle of the book. I would recommend laminating all pages and place it in a binder to create your family book. 

The second page of the book is the family picture picture page. You can add the family's picture inside of the heart and customize to meet the needs of your class. 

The third page of the book involves parent and child. Each parent and child can trace their hand on this page. When they are done you can cut out some heart pieces and add them to the hands. If you're like me, you can also have your parents hand draw their own hearts. 

The last page of the book involves a poem. Each family/parent can add their own poem to a blank poem bubble or you can use the same poem for the whole class. 

When you are finished gathering all of this material for each student in your classroom, laminate, hole punch and place in a binder. Whenever your student feels sad or misses home they can look at the family book and think of their families. Grab this resource here or click the pictures above.