Emotional health plays an important role in our children’s lives. Being able to recognize, understand, and manage their emotions is an important skill that will help them cope with the challenges of everyday life. In this article, we will share five ways that can help your child manage their emotions.

Think like a psychologist

#1. Teach your child to recognize their basic emotions and feelings (happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise, anger, pride, shame, embarrassment, and excitement): Help your child learn to name his feelings. Tell him what words can be used to express different emotions. Encourage him to talk about how he feels at a particular moment.

Practice: 🎨 Offer to create an “emotional monster” out of plasticine. Let each part of his body symbolize a different emotion, and the child can play with him, expressing his feelings. 🦠👹

#2. Offer self-regulation strategies: Help your child understand what happens to him when he experiences strong emotions. Teach him breathing, visualization, or physical activity techniques that can help him calm down in difficult situations.

Practice: 🧘‍♀️ Have a family “no anger day”! Have each family member get a “pause” button to press when you notice that emotions are starting to run high. The loser forfeits the right to dessert! 🚫🍰

#3. Create a supportive environment: Provide your child with understanding and support when he is going through a difficult emotional experience. Let him know that he can seek help and support when he is having difficulty.

Practice: 🧠 Start your morning with a positive exercise: make an “emotional smoothie” of plans, wishes, and happy thoughts with your child! 🍹🌟

#4. Show empathy: Teach your child to understand the feelings of others. Model empathic behavior and discuss with him how he can help others when they are having a hard time.

Practice: Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child: The Heart of Parenting by John Gottman PhD

This book is a guide for parents who want to get closer to their children and help them learn to regulate their emotions. Experienced family psychology expert John Gottman clearly shows that those stereotypical behaviors that we used to consider “right” do not contribute to the formation of emotional intelligence of the child. The book has everything you need to diagnose your type of behavior, and find the behavioral strategies that will best suit your family, as well as help:

• show more attention to your child’s emotions;
• use the display of emotions as an opportunity to learn and bond with your child;
• empathize and better understand your child’s moods;
• discuss emotions in a language that the child can understand;
• help the child cope with difficult situations and problems.

#5. Practice positive rhetoric: Encourage your child to say positive statements about himself. He can repeat phrases like “I can handle it” or “I am strong and smart.” This will allow him to develop a positive sense of self.

Practice: 🤗 And of course, don’t forget to hug and dance together! Support and physical contact go a long way in managing emotions. Maybe your family hip-hop show will become your new ritual! 🎵💃

🌟 Remember that managing emotions is like a circus art, it takes practice and creativity! Managing emotions is an important skill that your child will use throughout his life. Help him or her learn it from an early age by providing support, understanding, and self-regulation tools. Working on your child’s emotional intelligence will bear fruit in the form of strong relationships, success, and self-confidence.🎪🤹‍♀️

I hope this post is fun and inspiring for you! If you have any other topics or requests, feel free to reach out!