Children's Feelings

You can help your child manage feelings when you:

• Tune in. Pay attention to how your child looks and behaves when feeling angry, sad, or happy. You’re better able to respond to your child when you know how he or she feels.
• Accept emotions. We all have negative and positive emotions. Let your child know that all of these emotions are normal.
• Label emotions. As your children show their feelings, tell them what you hear and see. Giving a name to emotions helps children recognize what they are feeling. When children can talk to others about feelings, they learn that everyone has emotions.
• Guide. Help your children learn what to do when they are upset. Look for the early signs of an outburst, when it is easier for children to control their emotions. Then help your children identify why they are upset. Talk about acceptable ways to express anger, frustration or sadness, such as using words or punching a pillow to let off steam.
• Set limits. Be clear about what behavior you can accept when your child is upset. It’s all right to be angry, but behaviors such as hitting or kicking are not OK.
• Help problem solve. Talk about how to handle feelings. Ask your child to suggest better ways to express emotion. Support children as they work it out for themselves.

You may wonder if you can show such patience when you’re tired from a day at work. But children’s feelings demand our attention no matter how we respond. With your help, your children can understand their emotions and learn limits for their behavior. As they learn to manage their feelings, they’ll have new skills to grow on.
 

Additional Articles/Resources

Note: You'll find these articles at different web sites. Use the "back" button when you're done to return to this page.

Be the Parent Your Child Needs — Child neglect issues and tips on being a better parent. Includes information on the link between substance abuse and child abuse/neglect issues.

Helping Children with Stress — Suggestions we can use to help us and our children during these difficult and confusing days.

Importance of Setting Limits — Children need and want guidance and limits until they can depend on themselves to make appropriate choices. This article offers support and tips on how to teach children what is expected, to set rules and standards for approved conduct, and to define and enforce consequences for behavior.

Play & Praise: Key to Development — Information about the value of play for children in their development, as well as a reminder that the behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated — so make sure you’re praising the positive behaviors you want to see more often.

Positive Parenting — Parenting and discipline suggestions for parents of young children and resources for parenting classes.