Teaching Your Child to Manage their Emotions

collaborative guest post

Emotions can always run high when it comes to children as they’re unaware of how they can safely manage and cope with their feelings. This thankfully can come easier with the helping hand of parents, and in some ways teachers, in showing children how emotions can be handled without worry.

In this guide from a nursery school in Hampshire we look at the ways you can teach your child to understand and manage their thoughts and feelings.

Show your child how they can identify feelings

From a very young age you can show your child what it means to have these thoughts and feelings through a chart. Point to the different emotions shown on this chart and see if they agree or disagree with the diagnosis. Work together on understanding each other's feelings and see what you can agree on. The more you make these moments an exercise the more your child can find the intrigue and fun within it, and they’re also learning a lot more about themselves.

There are some really effective strategies you can work with to help your child deal with their emotions, such as those listed over on Motherhood the Real Deal.

Each time you react in front of your child, talk them through your process

Identifying emotions can also come from your child paying attention to how you handle your own issues. If you bump into someone at the shop by accident and they don’t like the reaction you give them, that can make you feel upset.

Or if you see an act of kindness happen in front of you and you feel warm inside, describe that feeling to your child. See what they can naturally learn from you by explaining your thought process in front of your child each time you do something. They learn a lot from us after all!

Give them an understanding of perspective

A child that’s able to decipher what will affect them versus what they have to appreciate will make them feel more positive and grateful. It also shows them how different emotions or feelings can be associated with specific scenarios. While preparing for an exam can be a stressful ordeal for example, you can show your child the positives about this experience. It’s healthy to feel stressed about the things that matter, but it can also be a sign of positivity in that the end is near and the stress will go away.

In showing your child how to handle their emotions they’re more likely to feel confident in their own abilities, become better problem solvers and be able to navigate those difficult periods in their life. Show your child how they can make a difference through being one with their emotions.