Kids at this age can struggle with big emotions. Emotional literacy is the ability to understand, express and cope with emotions. It’s a skill that children will develop as they grow but can also be nurtured throughout childhood. There are lots of ways to help your child develop in this area.
Label Their Emotions
Accept their emotion and label it for them. For example, you could say “You seem so excited” or “You’re crying, you must be sad”.
When children learn the words for their emotions, they can tell you what they’re going through. This means they’re less likely to use their behaviour to show how they are feeling.
Use Games to Explore Emotions
Try playing games to help to help your child understand different types of emotions.
- Explore expressions with crafts or cooking. Using paper plates to create masks or puppets or make faces with playdough or homemade pizza.
- Play ‘Simon Says’ to get your child to show you what they understand about different emotions. You could say, ‘Simon says look worried’ or ‘Simon says show me how you’d feel if you won a game’.
- Play ‘Feelings Charades’. Act out different emotions. Or get older children to act out an event that would make them feel that emotion.
- Make a playlist and talk about how music makes you feel. Songs like ‘Adagio in G Minor’ by Albinoni and ‘Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’ by Handel evoke strong emotions. Ask your child to tell you what emotions they think the songs are trying to convey.
Help Them Express Themselves
As your child grows, encourage them to express their emotions in a positive way. For older children, talk to them about how to handle emotions. Help them see why they’re feeling a certain way.
Give Them Tools to Manage Emotions
Teach your child ways they can cope with more difficult emotions. You could try:
- Creating a soothing box to help you child feel safe.
- Describe an object to calm anxious thoughts.
- Activities to help them practise mindfulness.
- Making a glitter bottle for a calming experience.
- Drawing a worry tree to offload concerns.
Watch this video to learn how to help your kids manage their emotions
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