Teaching Feelings to Your Children

[anonymous]

Whether your child is just learning how to express his or her teaching feelings through words or singing, it's important to model how to use different emotion words. Here are some ideas:

Make a clip chart of different emotions. Have students find a clip and then place it in the appropriate spot on the chart. You can also play games that introduce different emotions and teach students to recognize their own. Playing emoji card games, board games, or matching games can help students become familiar with the words and concepts they need to understand. Incorporate the use of the Feelings Endless Card to check in with students and discuss different emotions.

Start by teaching your child the different ways to express their emotions. If you can't help your child express his or her feelings, try letting him or her know that they're normal and that he or she should calm down. For example, if your child is feeling angry, try sitting outside. You could also ask him or her to talk to a stuffed animal. These actions will help your child express his or her feelings and will help him or her better deal with them in the future.

Identify and mimic different emotions. You can also hang a picture of a person with a particular emotion on the classroom door. Let children guess which emotion each person is experiencing and come up with reasons for their reactions. This will encourage children to express themselves and become more imaginative. If you don't have the time to make a full-blown movie or play a role-playing game, you can make a paper-bag puppet and use it as a prop during circle time activities.