5 Cool Methods For Teaching Kids About Emotions And Feelings

In this post we talk about teaching kids about emotions and feelings. Everyone has emotions and feelings. We will help you teach emotions to kids by discussing what are emotions, books to help with identifying emotions, explaining emotions and feelings to children and activities for teaching kids about emotions and feelings and how to manage them.

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What Are Emotions For Kids

Most people believe that emotions and feelings are the same however as per Psychology Today, they are different. “Emotions originate as sensations in the body. Feelings are influenced by our emotions but are generated from our mental thoughts.” So, your emotion comes from your subconscious state while your feelings come from conscious thoughts linked to these emotions. Our feelings are often expressed in our bodies with physical display through for example facial expressions, heart pounding or sweating.

Why Does Teaching About Feelings And Emotions Matter

Emotions matter because we all have them. Teaching kids about emotions and feelings gives them a head start in life as without emotional intelligence things can be much more challenging. Learning about emotions can help kids deal with feelings better and also helps them to be more empathetic with those around them when they express feelings or behave in particular way. Feelings are always changing so kids need to learn how to handle these changes. According to Kids Help Line, children with an understanding of emotions are said to display less inappropriate behavior, have better relationships, better mental health and a better view of themselves.

Common Emotions For Kids

Emotions can be broken down into five main categories as per Healthline. These are:

anger
fear
sadness
disgust
enjoyment

In teaching kids about emotions and feelings giving them a list of common emotions and feelings is important to their identifying and understanding of emotions. The happier human website has several printable feelings charts for kids which can use to teach kids what are some common emotions they may experience.

Managing, Identifying And Understanding Emotions And Feelings

Use Emotions Worksheets For Kids

Identifying emotions can be challenging especially for young kids. We can help them with identifying and understanding emotions and feelings by using things such as worksheets. Feelings worksheets show common feelings such as anger, happiness, sadness and fear and helps kids label their emotions.

The blog kindergarten worksheets and games has free printable emotions worksheets for kids. These identifying emotions for kids worksheets are a helpful tool in teaching kids about emotions. When kids can name their emotions this is a stepping stone to knowing how to manage the emotion. The kids can color the emotions, circle the emotions or draw the emotions as part of their learning.

Read A Book About Emotions And Managing Them

When teaching kids about emotions one also wants to give management tools. The book 1-2-3 My Feelings And Me gives great tips on how kids can understand and manage their feelings. It has a simple slogan called “take five.” The five ways mentioned in this book are:

Stop what you are currently doing
Notice your feelings and thoughts
Name the feeling if you are able to
Take slow deep breaths
Take a break by doing something else

This 40 page book is a great resource for parents to help teach kids 3 to 8 years old about emotions and feelings. It discusses feelings that may appear together, how to talk to ourselves about our feelings, how we can help ourselves with our feelings by letting them out, ways to let feelings out.

Read A Book That Tell Us We Were Created By God With Feelings

Do your kids know that God gave them feelings? Feelings are ok to have because God made us with them. In her book God gave me feelings, Catherine Mackenzie talks about this. She tells about the different things we feel, that God has feelings too and allows us to thank God for all these feelings and for loving us. The book also has scripture references at the end of each page and a prayer at the end of the book. This is a great 16 page board book to use when teaching babies to 3 year olds about emotions and feelings.

Read A Book About Bringing Emotions To God

Does God even care how we feel? Reading a book about bringing our emotions to God can help kids manage emotions. When teaching kids about emotions, we need to let them know that the God who made us with emotions and feelings cares about those emotions and feelings.

In the book, “Tell God How You Feel: Helping Kids with Hard Emotions,” Christina Fox tells the story of two siblings, Jack and Mia. It is geared towards kids six to eight years of age and has some common emotions for kids are illustrated by these stories. Emotions such as fear, sadness, rejection, loneliness, and gratitude are experienced by these kids and in the stories their parents take them to the Psalms and then to God in prayer. These five read aloud stories can be used for family times as they have questions and discussion starters at the end of each story.

Christian parents can use this book to help teach kids about emotions and that they can bring their emotions to God and tell him what hurts. This book shows kids how to deal with emotions in a biblical way. The stories in this book are:

A Scary Thunderstorm
A Friend Moves Away
A Friend’s Rejection
Feeling Lonely
Thankful for a Good Grade

A Book To Help Kids With ADHD Regulate Emotions

Learning to Feel Good and Stay Cool: Emotional Regulation Tools for Kids With AD/HD is a book written by Judith M Glasser and Kathleen Nadeau. It is a 128 page book for kids between the ages of 8 to 12 years.

As per the authors, everybody likes to feel good however we all have emotions like frustration when things don’t go the way you want them to. Children with ADHD have really strong feelings which makes it more challenging for them to control their behavior. Some people will say they are “over-reacting,” but children with ADHD are often less self-observant and more reactive, so it is not as easy for them to understand and control their feelings.

This book has practical advice to help kids with AD/HD

Understand emotions
Know warning signs for when they are getting upset
Practice daily healthy habits
Problem solve so they get upset less frequently
Feel better when they get upset

Do Bible Based Emotion Activities For Kids

Doing some physical activities can help kids manage emotions and feelings. You can share with your kids your own methods of managing your feelings. We also have a list of 5 easy emotional management activities to share when teaching kids about emotions and feelings below:

Pray. The bible says we should call on God when we need him so, if our emotions are overwhelming say a prayer to God. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3
Talk about your feelings to someone who you trust. “Confess your faults one to another” James 5:16
Laugh out loud. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” Proverbs 17:22
Read books and the bible, especially the psalms, and sing to the Lord. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:19
Dance to your favorite religious song. “Praise him with the timbrel and dance” Psalm 150:4

Be An Example

A great technique in teaching kids about emotions is to be an example. The children will model us so being a good example in emotional management goes a long way in teaching kids about emotions.

1 Peter 5: 3 says, “Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.”

Our flock is our children so let us be good examples. The bible also reminds us in Matthew 5:16 to let our light shine.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Play Emotion Games

In helping kids identify emotions we can play emotion games. Do you know any kid who hate games? I don’t so for sure this is a great teaching tool in explaining feeling identification to children. Visit Emily’s page for some great emotion games to use when teaching kids about emotions. You will find games like self control bubbles, parachute, hide and seek and musical chairs all geared towards teaching kids about emotions.

Teaching Kids About Emotions

Teaching Kids about emotions and feelings is hard work. It is however essential to the growth and development of children. Bible characters like David had lots of emotions. Even Jesus showed his emotions and feelings when he wept for his friend Lazarus. Emotions and feelings are apart of what it means to be humans.

As you teach your kids about emotions I hope that our ideas shared in this post were useful. Whether you use the emotions worksheets for kids or the identifying emotions for kids worksheet or use books for teaching children to understand emotions, please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.