Kids emotion ramble in seconds. Do you have a quick-fix to save the day? Read on!
As parents and caregivers, we play a crucial role in helping young children develop emotional intelligence. Emotion coaching is an effective approach that supports children in recognizing, understanding, and managing their feelings. By following these three simple steps, you can foster your child’s emotional growth and build a stronger connection. Here’s our latest blog, 3 sure-fire steps to kids emotion coaching.
1 / Validate and Label the Emotion
Reflect back the emotion you observed, using simple, age-appropriate language.
“I see you’re feeling frustrated right now.”
Validate the child’s feelings by letting them know it’s okay to feel that way.
“It’s okay to feel angry when you don’t get what you want.”
Help the child put a name to the emotion, expanding their emotional vocabulary.
“That looks like sadness on your face.”
2 / Assess the Child’s Emotional State
Closely observe the child’s facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice to identify the emotion they are experiencing.
Be attuned to subtle cues, as young children’s emotional expressions may be more nuanced.
Avoid making assumptions – check in with the child to confirm your understanding of their feelings.
Make it real by putting a scale to their emotions. Is it 10 as being the highest and 1 as the lowest? A doctor’s physical pain scale is also a good reference.
3 / Problem-Solve and Provide Support
Once the child’s emotion is recognized and validated, help them work through it.
Provide comfort and soothing if the child is upset, using gentle touch, rocking, or singing.
If the emotion is leading to challenging behavior, set clear limits and guide the child towards more positive ways to express themselves.
Collaborate with the child to find solutions or alternatives to address the underlying issue causing the emotion. The goal is to respond to the child’s emotions with empathy, patience and guidance, teaching them healthy coping strategies over time.
Emotion coaching is a powerful tool in supporting children’s social-emotional development. By following these three steps, you can help your little one navigate the complexities of their inner world and grow into emotionally intelligent individuals.
We have an ongoing weekly giveaway this Mental Wellness Month 2024. You get a chance to have 1 of 3 of the Cubo Sticky pack, a set of social emotional learning boxes to help your preschooler 3+ to navigate routines, transitions, and emotions. You can join here at https://bit.ly/feel2024
If you love our 3 Sure-fire Steps to Kids Emotion Coaching, subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest blog releases. We also talked about why your toddler has big feelings and emotion coaching for toddlers and preschoolers. You can also support your kids emotional wellbeing in this Emotion Cards.
Get ready for smoother days~!
You can drive test our beautiful products by printing our social emotional learning lesson plans.
