Why Is It Important To Teach Children Emotion Regulation? {Part One}
Anger, frustration, confusion, and sadness … big feelings manifest in many ways. Many of us may not have been taught how to identify and manage our emotions as young children. We may have been told “big boys don’t cry” or “ladies can’t get angry.” The reality is, we experience emotions because we are human. We can learn to express them in a healthy way, which will help us model emotion regulation for our children. Stuffing our emotions can lead to many issues, such as an upset stomach, muscle tension, or headaches. As parents, it is our job and our privilege to help our children learn to identify and manage their emotions in a healthy way. Here are some fun activities to help your child learn to manage emotions. Coping skills is a term used to describe activities that help a person manage difficult emotions.
Emotion Puppets
Create puppets to express different emotions. Use a brown paper bag or a sock to create them. Make one for happy, angry, worried, and sad. You can make more if you’d like! Use the puppets to practice expressing these emotions in a healthy way. Children love puppets and there are many types you can purchase or create from household items. It’s a great way to role play various emotions children encounter in their daily lives. These emotion puppets were created by my daughter when she was seven.
Calm Down Bag
Create a calm down bag: fill it with things that help you calm down when you are worried, angry, or upset. Ideas include a Bible, headphones to listen to music, a stuffed animal, clay, a journal, drawing supplies, a soft blanket, a pretty picture, a sensory bag, coping cards, etc. You can also create a “calm down corner” in your home, or a calm down jar. You can use empty water bottles and add water, oil, or syrup. Add glitter, paint, or food coloring. Be creative! Shake the jar and watch as the contents slowly settle.
Feelings Collage
Using age appropriate magazines, create a “feelings collage.” Magazines are a great way to find real life pictures depicting various emotions. Choose pictures that represent happy, sad, mad, and scared. Focus on the basics for younger children. You can add more feelings if you’d like. Depending on your child’s age, this activity can help them understand emotions on a spectrum. (Example: we experience anger on a spectrum from mildly irritated all the way to rage).
Define Emotions
Using index cards, write an emotion along with the definition. (Practice using a dictionary by looking up the definition for each one). Then, draw that emotion on the other side. Have a loved one pick a card and you teach them or demonstrate what that emotion means! You can also use a mirror or take pictures of you and your child making different emotion faces.
Use music
Create a music corner. Include music you and your child can listen to as well
as instruments to create your own music. There are many templates and videos online
that teach simple ways to create instruments from common household items. Ideas
include drums, tambourines, xylophones, etc. You can also have a dance party!
