How Can We Explain Feelings To Children?

Emotions are affected by perceptions, thoughts, behaviors and subjective reactions. They have a great influence on our behavior and thoughts, and they can become even more intense in children. It is therefore important to know how to talk to children about emotions.

By helping them learn to recognize their emotions, you contribute to a positive mental development. In addition, they learn to control themselves, and they also gain good self-esteem, which contributes to their happiness.

Why is it important to explain emotions to children?

Studies and experience have shown that emotional education at home strengthens the well-being of all family members. The idea is to give your children tools to regulate and express their emotions without avoiding or exaggerating them.

Here are some key benefits of emotional education:

• Helps children get to know themselves and have better control over their environment.
• Important for social development.
• Emotional training reduces aggressive behavior
• Reduces the risk of consuming addictive substances such as alcohol and tobacco
• Emotional education minimizes antisocial and self-destructive behavior

It is important to emphasize that emotions should be controlled but never repressed. Your children need to learn to express their feelings depending on the occasion and the people around them.

What they need to know about emotions

Children are born with emotions, but how they act when they experience them is an acquired behavior. The path your children take in life may depend on how they control their emotions.

Sometimes people talk about how emotions are like a guide. However, it is wise to learn to use them. That’s why it’s so important to explain emotions to children.

The first feelings you should work on with your children include:

1. Anger, which children experience when they do not get what they want. If children do not learn to control their anger, they may develop behavioral problems in the future.
2. Fear is a kind of insecurity when faced with imaginary or real dangers. Sometimes fear can be a positive emotion, as it motivates you to act with caution. However, it should be controlled, as excessive fear can have a negative impact on one’s life.
3. Disgust is to dislike someone or something. Children can be disgusted by certain foods, for example.
4. Grief is a painful feeling that often leads to crying. It can be associated with real or imaginary loss. Losing a toy or pet can cause grief in children.
5. Joy is a satisfying feeling that can arise due to an event, person, thing or desire. It encourages action, affection and gratitude.
6. Marvel is a feeling of surprise. It helps children understand new things, and also motivates them to look for answers and solutions.

Activities to explain emotions to children

The following activities are practical to include in everyday life:

• Emotional script. Write down several emotions on a piece of paper. Let the children use a character or doll to act out a story with the emotions written down. This game encourages children to express their feelings.
• Emotion detective. This activity consists of giving your children different characters from stories, TV series or magazines, and asking them to describe their emotional state. Then ask the children to explain why they think the characters feel that way.

Explain emotions with music

Children develop the ability to process music from an early age. Music can even change their mood. This happens because sound helps to release emotions and repressed energy.

This is why music can be a great tool for teaching children about emotions. Choose different musical genres and enjoy listening to songs with your children. When you have finished listening to a song, ask your children what feelings they felt.

Give the children a diary

Keeping a diary can be helpful for children over the age of 6 who have difficulty expressing their feelings. By using a diary, they do not feel pressured to talk about their feelings. More and more they will learn to express themselves freely.

Suggestions to help your children develop emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize one’s own feelings and the feelings of others. Having emotional intelligence can help children deal with situations wisely. It is also an important trait that contributes to a balanced personality.

To help your children develop emotional intelligence, try the following:

• Motivate them to express how they feel.
• Help your children recognize their own tastes and needs, opinions, desires and limitations.
• Motivate your children to try to solve their own problems. Give them help when they need it, by giving suggestions.
• Acknowledge your children’s efforts.
• Show your children how they recognize their mistakes. Help them understand that mistakes are an important part of learning.
• Explain to them the importance of respecting the opinions and feelings of others.

By knowing how to explain emotions to your children, you will get to know their inner world. At the same time, it opens doors for them to get to know themselves better, which will definitely contribute to their happiness and well-being.