Tell your child what you notice he is feeling. Suggest why he might be feeling this way. Do this on behalf of others, too–including yourself. This gives your little one repeated support identifying and naming a range of emotions for self and others. It also normalizes that we all have feelings.
- Saying/signing my name will get my focused attention and make your empathy seem very close to my heart. Some ideas include:
- “Oh no! Poor (child’s name).”
- “Wow! (Child’s name) is feeling excited because…”
- “Awwwww, (child’s name)…”
- “Uh-oh. I’m so sorry, (child’s name)!”
- “Oh, sweetheart…this is hard, (child’s name).”
- Give me feelings signs/words all throughout our days together. Simple statements made clearly and repeatedly are just what my brain needs. Here are some ideas:
- “I see you are happy! You love petting doggies! Dogs make (child’s name) feel happy.”
- “I see you are frustrated. Mama said, ‘No,’ and that is frustrating to you.”
- “(Sibling’s name) feels sad. She dropped her banana. It is dirty. She feels sad.”
- “You feel angry. It is time to go inside. You want to stay outside. Leaving outside makes (child’s name) feel angry.”