Mental Health & Wellbeing

Understanding and managing emotions in children

Understanding and managing emotions plays a vital role in children’s growth and overall wellbeing. Young people who can recognise and regulate their emotions are more likely to:

• Express their feelings calmly or in other appropriate ways.
• Recover more easily after strong emotions like disappointment, frustration, or excitement.
• Manage their impulses.
• Behave in positive ways that support healthy relationships, safety, and development.

These skills support learning, friendships, independence, and overall growth.

A child’s ability to understand and manage emotions develops gradually. When children are young, they need support to recognise and name their feelings. This early awareness forms the foundation for stronger emotional regulation as they get older. As children mature, they learn more strategies to handle their emotions independently.

Understanding and managing emotions is often referred to as emotional regulation, and it is a key part of developing self-regulation skills.

Children learn to understand and name their feelings with lots of practice. It’s often easier for them to do this through play, when they are calm and relaxed, rather than when their emotions feel too big. Play is the most natural and accessible language for children. It’s how they can communicate their thoughts and feelings and how we can communicate with and teach them. 

Here are some simple ways you can help your child learn about emotions:

• Talk about how characters in books, TV shows, or movies might be feeling. For example, “Look at Bluey’s face — she looks sad.”
• Read books about feelings together. Some good ones to start with are The Way I Feel by Janan Cain, A Book of Feelings by Amanda McCardie, and My Body Sends a Signal: Helping Kids Recognize Emotions and Express Feelings by Natalia Maguire.
• Show your child how you recognise your own feelings and help them notice theirs. For example, “I felt angry when I broke that glass. Do you feel like that when something goes wrong?”
• Help your child connect emotions to body feelings. You can model this by describing your own sensations and emotions to your child. For example: "My heart is beating fast, I feel nervous" or "My shoulders are tense, I feel frustrated".
• Let your child explore emotions through play, such as drawing, painting, messy play, puppet shows, dancing, or music.