Student Wellbeing
Sharing emotions can be tricky!!
Sometime it is hard to understand what are children are thinking and feeling so engage in activities that encourage children to share their feelings and emotions. Below are some examples to try.
Feelings jars: Create a feelings jar by decorating a jar with your child and then filling it with different coloured pom poms. Each colour can represent a different feeling or emotion. Encourage your child to add pom poms to the jar as a way to express and process their emotions.
Emotion posters: Create posters with different emotions, such as happy, sad, angry, and scared. Encourage your child to point to or circle the emotions they are feeling, and discuss why they are feeling that way.
Emotion check-ins: During an evening family meal, incorporate emotion check-ins by asking each family member to share one emotion they experienced that day and the reason behind it.
Emotion wheels: Create emotion wheels with your child by drawing or printing out circles and labelling each section with a different emotion. Encourage your child to spin the wheel and talk about how they feel.
Worry dolls/monster: Use worry dolls or worry monsters to help your child process their worries and fears. Guidance for children:
• Before going to bed, take your worry dolls out and hold them in your hand.
• Tell your worry dolls about your worries or anxieties. You can whisper or talk to them quietly.
• After telling your worries to the dolls, place them under your pillow.
• While you sleep, the worry dolls will take away your worries and help you feel better.
• In the morning, take the worry dolls out from under your pillow and put them away in a safe place until you need them again.
A worry box can help children manage their worries and anxieties. Guidance how to use it:
• Find a suitable container: You can use any type of box, jar, or container for the worry box. It should be small enough for your child to hold and decorate, but big enough to hold slips of paper.
• Decorate the box: Let your child decorate the box with stickers, markers, or other decorations. Encourage them to make it their own and express themselves through their design.
• Write down worries: Encourage your child to write down their worries on a slip of paper and place it in the worry box. They can do this whenever they feel anxious or overwhelmed.
• Let go of worries: Once your child has written down their worry and put it in the box, encourage them to let it go. Remind them that the worry is now in the box, and they don't have to carry it around with them anymore.
• Review worries: Set aside a regular time to review the worries in the box with your child. This can be a good opportunity to talk about their worries and find ways to address them.
Jenny Willmott
Deputy Principal
Student Wellbeing