At The School For Living we provide children with the confidence and skills they need to handle complex emotional situations.

Emotions are very complicated, especially for a young children. It’s difficult teaching kids about emotions because it’s an abstract concept. It’s hard to describe how it feels to be sad, scared, or excited, however it’s crucial to begin teaching kids about their emotions as early as possible since their feelings affect every choice they make.

Name Their Feelings

Teach your child basic emotion words such as happy, angry, sad and scared. Older kids can benefit from learning more complex emotion words such as frustrated, disappointed, and nervous. A great way to help kids learn about emotions is to discuss how various characters in books or TV shows may feel. Pause to ask, “How do you think he feels right now?” Then, discuss the various feelings the character may be experiencing and the reasons why.

Talk About Feelings

Show kids how to use emotion words in their daily vocabulary. Model how to express emotions by taking opportunities to share your feelings. Say, “I feel sad that you don’t want to share your toys with your sister today. I bet she feels sad too.” Each day, ask your child, “How are you feeling today?” With young children, consider using a simple chart with smiley faces to help them pick a feeling and then discuss it together.

Model Healthy Choices

If you tell your child to use their words when they’re angry but then they witness you slam the door during an argument, your words won’t be effective. Model healthy ways to deal with uncomfortable emotions.

Teach Coping Strategies

Kids need to learn that just because they feel angry doesn’t mean they can hit someone. Rather, they need to learn anger management skills so they can resolve conflict peacefully. Proactively teach your child how to deal with uncomfortable emotions. Encourage your child to take a self-timeout. Encourage them to go to their room when they get upset. This can help them calm down before they act out on their emotions.