Another back-to-school season has come and kids start to return to the class with many different emotions. Kids notice that they have changed both physically and mentally. They are taller and more mature and have many confusions in the new school year. Parents can be the wonderful companions with kids. You can listen and help kids express emotions with parents so that they can quickly adapt to these sudden changes.
However, sometimes kids are too shy or do not know how to share their thoughts with their parents. Here are 5 tips to help kids express emotions with parents that Everest Education would like to share on the back-to-school season.
1. Name the emotions
Even though your children may initially find many emotions on a daily basis unfamiliar, you can support them by giving those emotions the right names. For instance, you may say, “You were upset that your friend stole your favorite toy,” or “You were sorry to say goodbye because Mummy needs to go to work.” To help your kids understand the emotions that the characters in a tale go through, use pictures or movies to show them.
Your child will develop emotional vocabularies and eventually be able to recognize those feelings. Then they are able to communicate them to you if you teach them to name their emotions when they arise. This will then teach them the fundamentals of how to express emotions in a healthy way.
2. Talk about how emotions can be expressed
The best method to encourage your kids to express emotions is to lead by example. Start with describing your own feelings and the way to share them. You can give your child the chance to brainstorm answers for various problems and talk about whether or not those solutions are suitable in the circumstances.
For instance, “If you’re frustrated because it’s difficult to put the box back on the shelf. What should you do? You can try again or seek assistance. Which direction do you prefer?”
You might also think about enrolling your child in classes that foster self-expression when they get older. For instance, speech and theatre classes offer the ideal platform for your child to creatively communicate their feelings through body language and facial expressions. At E2, kids can join Climbers Crew – A wonderful place to enhance soft skills and make friends from around the city, especially the Speaking Club and STEM Club. Those ways are very helpful for increasing their self-esteem as well as enhancing their language and communication abilities.
While parents soothe babies, toddlers and preschoolers require a sense of connection with parents to regulate and manage their emotions. Therefore, the best thing you can do for your child is to reconnect when you feel them becoming upset or overwhelmed. This enables you to view events from your child’s point of view. This enables you to respond effectively by assisting you in comprehending the cause of their outbursts. In fact, specialists strongly advise hugging our kids when things are difficult because it has been proven to help them regulate their emotions.
When punishing a kid’s misbehavior, discipline techniques like spanking, time-outs, repercussions and shaming are ineffective at assisting kids in coping with their emotions. By using these techniques, parents are teaching kids that their “bad” emotions are to blame for their misbehavior. As a result, they attempt to contain their feelings until they reach a breaking point where they have a breakdown episode.
Help your child process and control their emotions in healthy ways rather than punishing them. Speaking in a correct tone of voice and avoiding shouting are two examples of how to lead by setting a good example. Drawing and shaping with playdough might be activities that let them express emotions.
5. Praise, praise and praise, but in a proper way!
When your kids express emotions, praise them. In real life, praising teaches kids what is appropriate to support and what is not. When they observe new things at school and actively find parents to share their feelings at home, give them nice compliments. This makes them understand that they made the proper decision and that you are happy when he comes to share his feelings.
If your child still doesn’t fully comprehend the compatibility of these feelings, things may seem unusual and even overwhelming as he advances to a new level of knowledge. The parents and teachers at E2 will always give kids open arms and give them enough confidence to handle changes in the upcoming school year.
>> Find out more about the course at Everest Education HERE
