Seeing, Showing, and Sharing
Help your children express themselves with a strong feelings vocabulary.
Building a strong feelings vocabulary is like building a muscle—it takes exercise, practice, and hard work! Try these exercises to help children practice expressing themselves:
See it. When children can “picture” words, they’ll learn them more easily. Take out a family photo album, child-friendly magazine, or picture book. Point to a person or character and say, “How do you think he/she is feeling?” If children say, “happy,” build on that. You might say, “She looks really, really, happy. A word for really, really, happy is ‘ecstatic.’”
Show it. Children will be more likely to remember a new word if they experience its meaning. Come up with a movement or face for each word that you learn together. If the word is “exhausted,” for example, kids might flop over and give a really big yawn.
Share it. Use words for feelings and emotions every day. Encourage kids to describe feelings as they tell you about things they did that day. Ask questions like, “How did you feel when you _______?” Remind them of the ways to describe happy, scared, mad, and tired feelings.
Safe & Together
When families have to leave home in order to stay safe, it helps to remember that home is where the love is.
Bubble Time
A quiet activity such as blowing bubbles can help both children and adults breathe deeply, slow down… and calm down.
Crayon Power
Coloring together can soothe both children and grown-ups.
See You Later Alligator
A special, loving good-bye routine can make separations easier.
Friendship Bracelets
When it’s hard to be apart from those we love, the littlest things can become big reminders that someone loves us and is thinking of us.
Cloud Watching
Spending time outside can feel like a “reset” on the day.
Pillow Hugs
Hugging a pillow covered with an item of a loved one’s clothing can help comfort children when they’re missing them.
