When your preschooler's feelings are intense, family ideas can help him or her identify and discuss feelings. Giving your child words for feelings is a way to help him or her gain control of those feelings and build self-esteem. Here are two activities for preschoolers that will help children label feelings and talk about them.
Mirror Faces
What You Need:
Mirror
Paper
Crayons
Let's Go!
Stand or sit so you and your child can both see your faces in a mirror. Suggest a situation in which your child might experience various emotions and ask your child to show you how he or she would feel. You might say for example, "How would you feel if you dropped your candy in the mud?" Practice with your child expressing happiness, sadness, surprise, anger, and other emotions. Then let your child draw a happy face, sad face, and so on. If you like, label each face drawing with the word for the corresponding emotion.
Talk to Me
What You Need:
Time with your preschooler in a quiet place
Let's Go!
Sit so that you and your child are comfortable and can look into each other's eyes. Ask your child about an incident that upset him or her and listen carefully to the explanation. Let your child know that you understand how upsetting the incident was. Ask your child to describe his or her feelings. If your child is struggling for words, suggest a few such as, sad, unhappy, or frustrated. Explain gently that identifying and talking about feelings can help a person feel better.
Give your full attention to your child. Make sure he or she understands that there is no right way to feel only right ways to act. Close the conversation with a question such as, "What do you think we should do about these feelings?" to help your child make safe and healthy choices about his or her feelings.