Teaching Your Child to Manage Their Emotions

Emotions are a big deal to children and are something that should be taught how to manage. At any age, crying is usually a response to feeling overwhelmed by strong feelings such as anger, sadness or happiness. However, some children struggle to control their emotions the way others can which can lead to them getting angrier often and getting overly excited compared to their friends. Big emotions can make life difficult especially when the person experiencing them is unaware of how to handle them. Here is some advice from a boarding school in Cardiff on teaching your child to manage their emotions. 

Help your child separate their feelings from their behaviour. Children need to understand that acting up in public and having a tantrum because they are upset is not okay and is unacceptable behaviour. Your child needs to understand that there is no issue with them feeling the emotions they do, the problem is how they deal with it. For example, they have the right to be angry at someone, but not to hit them. Discipline their behaviour, not their emotions. 

Validate their feelings. Saying something like ‘you’re overreacting, it’s not a big deal’ can make them think what they are feeling is wrong. Demonstrate that you understand how they’re feeling and be empathetic towards them. By being vocal, you are showing your child that you are aware of what they are going through and aren’t ignoring or invalidating them. It is also important to remind your child that feelings don’t last forever and it is important to focus on moving on to the solution rather than dwelling on the problem. 

Show them how to calm themselves down. Sometimes children will work themselves up and then realise they have no idea how to regulate their emotions. In times of difficult times, show your child breathing techniques and let them know that it is perfectly fine to step away and take some time out from the situation.