“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
―Maya Angelou
Resources
5 Steps to Managing BIG Emotions
(emotion management and self-soothing)
Here are 5 steps you and your child can use when you are experiencing BIG feelings.
Draw Your Emotions
(an emotional literacy activity for kids)
Drawing your Emotions:
Young children sometimes have difficulty naming their feelings. Drawing emotions can be a great way for kids to communicate their emotions without using words.
1. Sit down with your child and ask them to close their eyes and think about how they're feeling.
2. Once they have had a moment to think about how they are feeling, ask them to draw their feeling(s).
3. If they can name their emotion, you can write the feeling word on their picture.
If your child has trouble thinking about how they are feeling, you can offer some feeling words to give them ideas (happy, disappointed, silly, scared, angry, etc.).
Try doing this exercise multiple times, when your child is experiencing various emotions.
You can also model this exercise by drawing how you are feeling.