Emotions are a natural part of life. Young children have big feelings that can shift quickly. Though they are effective at expressing emotions, it takes time for children to understand where those feelings come from, what they’re called, how to manage them, and how to recognize them in others. Children may not understand that emotions change and that even if they’re feeling sad or worried now, that those feelings won’t last forever.
As adults, there are many ways that we can help children on their path to understanding emotions. One way is to help children interpret their emotions. When you see your child stomp his foot and ball up his fists, help him to name his emotions and connect his feelings and behavior. "I saw you stomp your foot. You look really mad. I know you wanted to throw your ball in the kitchen. Do you remember where you can throw your ball? Should we take it outside to throw it after lunch?" This may not immediately quell their uncomfortable feelings and that's ok. The idea is to help them understand what they're feeling and why. Later, you might help them notice that they felt better and how. "You were so mad before, but I noticed you made a picture with your crayons. It seems like that helped you stop feeling mad."
Another way to support children is to discuss our own emotions. Children are probably most likely to notice big emotions like sadness and anger. Discussing these with them, talking about what we're feeling and why send the message that feelings (even uncomfortable feelings) are acceptable and that it's good to talk about them. You can discuss your own feelings the same way you would your child's, making sure to link behavior to emotions.
Here is a link to a great song from Sesame Street about Emotions:
Katrina Nousaine & Anita Speck, Park West Co-Op Preschool Teachers, contributed to this post