A child can experience complex feelings too, like getting frustrated, nervous, excited, sad, frightened, angry and embarrassed. Experiencing these feelings is an important part of a child’s growth and development. You can help your child understand his/her feelings, and manage them positively. Here are 4 effective ways to do so for your toddler’s growth and development :
1. Understand your child’s emotions
Your child may experience various emotions like anger, sadness, disgust, fear, happiness, and surprise. When parents talk to their child about emotions a child gets better social skills and is able to have a better hold of his/her feelings. For instance, if your child is crying without any apparent reason, a mom should give the child a hug. If he/she refuses, wait until your child comes to you for a hug. Do not force or get stressed.
2. Labeling the emotion
As early as age two, a child can be taught to identify emotions. One easy way to help your child to identify his/her emotions is to give him/her a safe space to express. For example, when your toddler is throwing a tantrum, you can tell him/her something like, “I see you are not happy about something. I will listen to you, once you calm down.” Or while reading a story to them you can ask them to guess how the character feels. Ask them questions like,” Can you tell how the character is feeling?”
3. Storytelling
Storytelling is perhaps the simplest way to introduce, identify, label and manage emotions. Through stories, you can teach your child the appropriate response and behavior in various situations. It is important that we are proactive in preparing our children for handling their emotions, rather than giving a reaction or trying to imbibe a lesson when they are actually feeling those emotions.
4. Tune into cues
Observe your child. Try and gauge his/her emotions through his/her body language and behavior. This will help you in understanding his/her feelings and emotions even when he/she is not able to express it well.
Children who are able to manage their emotions tend to be happier and have a more positive attitude. Facilitating proper emotional development in early childhood sets children on a path of well-rounded growth and development. To know how to ensure proper cognitive development in kids, read tips for ensuring proper cognitive development
