Wellbeing Report 

HELPING KIDS IDENTIFY AND EXPRESS FEELINGS

Hey Saltwater Families!

Now that we have moved back into face-to-face learning, emotions and feelings can seem very heightened as students get back into the rhythm of interacting with their peers and teachers. Learning to identify and express feelings in a positive ways, helps kids develop the skills they need to manage them effectively. Here are some tips from the Kids Helpline Website on how to support your child and help them to express their feelings.

Tune into cues - Sometimes feelings can be hard to identify. Tune into your child’s feelings by looking at their body language, listening to what they’re saying and observing their behaviour. Figuring out what they feel and why means you can help them identify, express, and manage those feelings better.

Behind every behaviour is a feeling - Try to understand the meaning and feeling behind your child’s behaviour. You can help your child find other ways to express that feeling once you know what is driving the behaviour.

Name the feeling - Help your child name their feelings by giving them a label. Naming feelings is the first step in helping kids learn to identify them. It allows your child to develop an emotional vocabulary so they can talk about their feelings.

Identify feelings in others – Provide lots of opportunities to identify feelings in others. You might ask your child to reflect on what someone else may be feeling. Cartoons or picture books are a great way discuss feelings and helps kids learn how to recognise other people’s feelings through facial expressions.

Be a role model - Kids learn about feelings and how to express them appropriately by watching others. Show your child how you’re feeling about different situations and how you deal with those feelings.

Encourage with praise - Praise your child when they talk about their feelings or express them in an appropriate way. Not only does it show that feelings are normal and it’s ok to talk about them, it reinforces the behaviour so they are likely to repeat it.

Listen to your child’s feelings - Stay present and resist the urge to make your child’s bad feelings go away. Support your child to identify and express their feelings so they are heard. When feelings are minimised or dismissed, they will often be expressed in unhealthy ways.  

Kids can express their feelings in many forms like facial expressions, body movements, their behaviour and play.  Sometimes they may act out their feelings in physical, inappropriate or challenging ways.

Here is a short 4 minute video on emotions:

Coming back to school has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and that is okay!  We are here to support each other through these challenging times.

Victoria, Rachael and Aileen