Helping Preschool Students Identify and Express Their Emotions

Sometimes little children have difficulty managing large emotions. They don't always have words to describe how they are feeling or why they are feeling a certain way. Children may also need guidance about appropriate ways to express their feelings.  

Yes, it's OK to be mad... but it's not OK to throw toys when you are mad... what can you do instead?  

Tatiana Green is a preschool teacher at Alphabet Kids Preschool. In today's guest post, Tatiana Green shares her thoughts about the importance of talking to children in preschool about their feelings. Keep reading to see what she has to say!

The following post was written by Tatiana Green. This post originally appeared in the Homeschool Whisperer Facebook group.

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The Biggest Frustration Families With Preschoolers Have!

I’ve worked with many families of preschool-aged children. I have two sons who I got through the preschool years of homeschooling. One of the biggest frustrations with this age group I’ve noticed and heard many parents express is the screaming tantrums and meltdowns.

One thing we have to remember is that these little bodies have huge emotional waves that hit them-- sometimes out of nowhere and often times uncontrollable.

Imagine! As adults, we can feel what’s coming. We’ve become accustomed to what pushes our buttons, what sets us off. We know the words to get others to understand. But for these little ones, it’s like speaking a language that you don’t understand yourself.

They don’t know what they are saying. They don’t know what they are doing. They don’t know why this is happening.

The best we can do for our preschool-aged kiddos is teach them this new language.

In our preschool, we talk about feelings. We talk about what they feel like, what they look like, and the types of situations that may trigger our feelings. Emotions and feelings are languages that you have to learn to understand, even when your body already knows how to speak them.

 

How are you feeling? What caused you to feel this way?

 
And when our littles express their feelings and emotions, it’s our job to listen-- not to tell them which emotions are appropriate or inappropriate. We can only teach them what behavior is appropriate and inappropriate.

 

How do you guys help your littles calm down when their emotions get too big?

Tatiana Green is the lead teacher at Alphabet Kids Preschool Online.  She has a background in early childhood development with a concentration in preschool education.  To learn more about Tatiana Green and the programs she teaches, please visit the Alphabet Kids Preschool Online website.

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