Do you wish you could help your kids better understand their feelings? With three kids ages four and under, we have lots of big emotions at our house. And I’ll admit, it’s not only on the kids’ end either!
Emotions aren’t the enemy. Of course we love feelings of joy and happiness, but emotions like anger or sadness can help us too by signaling that we need something. Maybe we need community. Maybe we need to make a change. Maybe we need to connect with our Creator. God gave us different emotions for a reason, and we can honor Him by learning how to handle our emotions well.
So, how can we help our kids better manage and understand their feelings? One way is to show them through our own words and actions. It won’t look perfect, but our kids learn a lot from our example. We can talk about our feelings out loud and then say how we are going to handle that emotion.
Example: “I’m feeling frustrated. I’m going to take a few deep breaths to help me calm down.”
Of course we won’t do this every time we experience a big emotion, but demonstrating this can be helpful for littles. Kids will still learn from us simply by our actions because they are watching!
Another great way to help our kids learn to handle their big emotions is by providing them with tools and opportunities to talk about their feelings openly. Making faces out of food can be a fun + yummy way to do that!
I originally wrote the activity below for Clubhouse Jr. magazine, but I’m sharing it here as well for anyone who wants to try it out. Have fun!
FOOD FACES: Help Kids UnDERSTAND BIG FEELINGS
Make snack time with your kids extra fun while learning about different feelings & emotions!
GATHER:
Paper plate
Yarn or pipe cleaners (for hair)
Scissors
Glue
1 apple
1 bell pepper
1 large carrot or several carrot sticks
1 strawberry
1 banana
2 blueberries
(Feel free to get creative and substitute or add in other foods too!)
GO:
1. If you’re using the yarn, cut several pieces of yarn to the desired length. Attach the yarn to the plate with the glue. Let the glue dry completely before step 3. Or use pipe cleaners and shape it into the hairstyle of your choosing. :)
2. Prepare the fruits and veggies.
Apple: cut slices into half circles or crescent shapes
Pepper: cut the pepper into thin, long slices
Carrot: cut the carrot into several short sticks
Strawberry: cut the strawberry in half
Banana: slice the bananas into full circles
3. Place two banana circles on the plate and put a blueberry on top of both slices for “eyes.” Use half of a strawberry for the “nose.”
4. Use the other pieces for the mouths and eyebrows, and create a variety of faces that show different emotions. Answer the questions below and enjoy your healthy snack as you go!
Emotion Ideas:
Happy: Use the crescent-shaped apple slice to make a smile!
-What or who makes you happy?
-How can you try to make someone else happy today?
Sad: Use the pepper slice to make a frown.
-What makes you feel sad?
-Who can you talk to when you’re sad?
Angry: Arrange the little carrot sticks in a zig zag pattern to make a mad mouth and then add some angry eyebrows.
-When is the last time you were angry and what made you mad?
-What helps you calm down when you’re angry?
Surprised: Use an extra banana slice to make a surprised face.
-What is one of the best surprises you can imagine?
-How could you give someone else a good surprise this week?
God gave us emotions for a reason. Let’s not shy away from helping our kids understand and manage those big feelings so they can continue to become the very best version of themselves!
