Young children go through a variety of emotions every day. Sometimes they have problems relating their emotions to their behavior and all adults see… is the challenging behavior that is exhibited!
Take time to talk with your children about what is really bugging them. What has happened to them that is making them feel upset? How does their body feel when this happens? What can they say to the other person? How should they react?
We need to explain these feelings to our children and give them simple ideas of how to deal with their emotions. One way to teach this is by using bugs themselves. Summer is a great time to have a lesson on bugs. Incorporate bugs into the discussion of emotions too. First take a large piece of paper and draw a bug right in the middle. Title the paper with “When something is bugging me, I can say…”
Give the child plenty of ideas on what to say….. This poster can hang in their room, on the refrigerator or anywhere the child spends a lot of time. It is a constant reminder of how the child can start to regulate their own emotions and deal with conflict.
Author: Lisa Poppe, Extension Educator | The Learning Child
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