This paper refers to the importance of the childish stories as an instrument, for the nursing action and the mental health promotion in childhood. The objective was to verify the recognition of the emotions of children, through stories specific to health. This is a descriptive-exploratory study by qualitative nature, conducted in seven groups meetings with six children aged seven to ten years in an outpatient childish mental health. In the data collection were used as instruments: six fairy tales, the play of emotions, emotional faces, drawings, paintings and clay sculptures. It was used thematic analysis, in which emerged: the recognition of emotions. The children recognized four basics emotions: sadness, joy, fear and anger. It was found in the study that the creation of contextualized stories and the strategy of storytelling group may be useful as a tool for research and qualification of nursing actions, to promote children's mental health.
Mental health; Play and playthings; Psychiatric nursing
