[Meghan]

What are some of the best ways to help children recognize their emotions and control their responses?

I think it’s important to discuss emotions, how we feel, and the body language associated consistently within the classroom. This allows the children to practice recognizing and responding. Stories and metaphors can also be helpful. I like the scary dragon metaphor. When you become angry and filled with many emotions you can become like a dragon and feel like destroying and hurting the things around you…and that’s dragon brain. To calm down we should breathe in the flower and blow out the candle. With daily consistent practice, children will eventually be able to do the exercise on their own. In the past I had a younger class you could not quite understand the metaphor, so everyday we practiced breathing together. Whenever I got angry or pretended to be angry I would do the breathing in front of them, and then we would do it together. I think showing your emotions and then responding to them in a healthy way, really mirrors to children “appropriate” coping methods.

[Anika Walter]

Some of the best ways to help a child recognize their emotions and control their responses is to teach emotion vocabulary and support emotional expression. Helping teach children how to properly voice their emotions helps with their responses and helping solve any negative emotions.

[Brooke Daniels]

Some of the best ways to help children recognize their emotions are to practice recognizing emotions with the children when they are calm by acting out the emotions using the emotion chart so they start to learn what it looks like. Also, in a real situation where a child is frustrated you can point out body language to help them recognize their feelings, for example, “I notice you have your shoulders slouched and fists clenched, you must be feeling frustrated.”

Some ways to help children control their responses are to practice breathing exercises while they are calm and tell them that this is what you try when you feel frustrated, angry, sad, etc. You can show them how art, exercise or talking to a friend/trusted adult can help them feel better.

[Kylie Mack]

patient like the child talk and understand them, give them your whole attention.

[Arie ham]

Always listen first. Use positive language & don’t use so many words. Grace, love and compassion come a long way.

[Roseli Santos]

When they are yelling or trying to get your attention pause the situation and as hey are you feeling okay are you sad or mad? and they will pause and feel the actual feelings. Ask them what it is and help them from there.

[abby kolbeck]

Talking it out, turning those emotions into words to be able to let it out and release that stress.

[Casidy Giles]

a way is to let the child guide the discussion about what they are feeling, after they are done, you can provide an observation into the behavior and give students the time needed to name the feeling and moving through it.

[Veronica]

I think the best way is to let the child talk, I make sure they know it’s okay to tell me what’s going on if they want to but they don’t have to then let them talk and explain as much as they feel is necessary even if I don’t find a lot of important to their problem because it’s clearly important to them. I’ll ask them how it makes them feel after and use some conflict resolution after that.

[Shannon Blancas]

I have a calming center where a child can have time to themselves if needed to read books, play alone and if they feel like it they can take this time to have a one on one time with me and express their feelings if needed but it has to be their choice to do so and their choice when they want to return to play with others.

[Molly Carden]

I like to help them recognize what emotion they’re feeling and validate that by reassuring them they can feel their feelings, and that big feelings are normal. I model deep breaths and continue to reassure over what they are upset about. Give them space to calm themselves and when they are ready you can talk to them about solutions and also ways to regulate like taking big breaths or moving their body around.

[Chadley Baker Hunter]

Ask children about what they are feeling, maybe using a chart that allows them to point at what emotion they are currently feeling. Ask them questions about how we can resolve this emotional distress.

[Willow Rose]

I love the SPOT boos, videos and stuffies. I also love the cosmic kids yoga vidoes and melting by gonoodle

[Kenya]

I try to narrate what a child is doing for feeling so they know I’m paying attention and hearing them. Ie “You are so sad and frustrated we have to leave the park, you don’t want to leave, you wont to stay and play more. You’re crying and yelling because you are mad and sad. I hear you, I understand, the park is a very fun place to be.” I take the child to a space that is calm and away from others and try to give them a cuddle or just be near them and calmly hum and take deep breaths to demonstrate regulation techniques for them, and when they are calmed down I again reiterate that I understand they were sad/mad and why, and try to offer solutions.

[Erin Traini]

Validate their feelings, let them say what they need to say, take deep breaths (or whatever they need to do to calm down), and then help them come up with a solution.