Big Emotions, Little Kids: Tools to Foster Mindful Conversations About Feelings
Little Kids, Big Emotions is a hands-on tool for emotional education centered around two feelings charts (Show Me How You Feel and Feelings Word Finder).
An adult (parent/teacher/counselor) uses the charts to help a child to accurately discern their own emotions. Over time, this activity can help children develop a broad “feelings vocabulary” (beyond the typical happy/sad/mad/scared) that will enable them to understand and identify emotional reactions (their own and others’), More importantly, this naming of emotions can be a springboard for a mindful conversation between the child and adult, in which the adult helps the child to:
- 1) better understand the sources of their emotions and
- 2) find the best ways to act on those emotions.
Little Kids, Big Emotions has been designed by experienced mental health clinicians to meet the developmental needs of children from pre-K through early elementary ages. It includes two full-color charts that you can print (black and white versions are also provided), and 6 pages of background information and instructions for use.