Teaching kids about emotions is one of the most important tools we can offer as parents, and one of the hardest. Emotions are needed to grow up as mature human beings, which will help to build a better community and world.

But, how can we teach them what are they feeling at a certain situation? How can we select the perfect words to explain it? Are they really coping with us?

I think the best way is by role modeling and using child-like games, activities, songs, books and imagination.

With Pinky, we tried to name her emotions at the moment she’s having them. For example, if she is trying to cut a paper with scissors and is getting “frustrated” we tell her: Is Pinky getting “frustrated”? I know is kind of “frustrating” learning how to use the scissors but you can keep trying! Later on we talk again about the experience she just had.

Other times when we are reading books, we look at the pictures and I ask her how she thinks the character is feeling. As the kid gets older you can add questions as why do she thinks the character is feeling like that, how would she react? Usually she points to aspects of the picture like an smile, tears, red cheeks, etc. or she retell things that we read in the story.  

We also have games/activities:

• Sorting different emotion pictures. You can print them out searching on Google pictures, clipart (I got the circle faces at Chilcare.com. The other ones, sorry but I can’t remember where I got them), or even better, make an album with your own kid’s emotion photos since he/she was a baby. Then, you can talk about how he/she grown up but his/her emotions still the same.

• Mommy/baby pretending game with her dollies (this game is also great for imagination and a way to check is she is getting the information when she tells me that the baby is crying because got a bobo and she kisses her to make her feel better).
• Our emotional carrot: it’s an activity I had on my mind for a quiet time already. I got a carrot inflatable toy at the dollar store (It was at Easter time) and draw different types of eyes and mouths to represent the emotions on a cereal box. Added velcro on the carrot and the cardboard. For younger kids you can add small emotions pictures for reference. You can make up stories and have her to put together the emotional face, have her to discover by herself or just as a tool for those tantrums moments when you will need to explain visually how are they feeling.

  

• Use your camera as a learning tool: have a fun time with your kid making up emotions and having a picture taken. I wrote a post about this activity here.  

Emotions are important, don’t try to suppress them. It’s the worst way of dealing with them. This can make kids feel that expressing emotions is prohibited, which will lead to stress and emotional breakdown. You can read more here.

Take care and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Linking to:

All the moving process has been such a hard one not just for mommy (packing, re-organizing and cleaning) but for our little one. Pinky is almost 3 years old and I think this is a difficult age to explain the process about moving to a new place. She can talk, ask questions and sometimes express her feelings (tantrums, mad faces, crying, screaming or aggression) but she needs time, patience and lots of repetition about the new situation.

This post is about how I managed the moving phases with our little princess:

Before moving (Packing)

1. Talk to your child about the up-coming moving- We started talking about going to a new house with a great school around 2 months before we moved. I showed her photos from the new state, school, playgrounds by browsing on internet. We used an enthusiastic voice tone and imagined all the new adventures and new friends to come.
2. Try to meet the new home/neighbor before moving- We traveled twice to our new place. First we came to visit Pinky’s new school, the new place to live and expended the weekend looking around the neighbor. Second, we came to see our officially new home and stayed for the weekend at it. Here’s Pinky enjoying her new home:



3. Let your child be part of the organizing-cleaning-packing process- She helped me to clean our electronics and other stuffs before we packed them. Good practical life experience!                        
4. Let the child express him/herself personalizing the boxes- She did some masterpieces with our boxes using crayons, pencil, pens and mommy’s old makeup. This was a great activity because she felt useful while mommy had time to think about what to do next.
5. Let available some creative toys (unpacked)- LEGOS!!! I prepared some cards for her to copy.

During moving day 

1. Invite friends with little kids to help- We had some friends to help us putting everything inside the truck and traveling with us to the new place. The best part, they brought their little ones with them. Pinky was so excited about helping and coping what the other girl was doing that helped her with the chaos. It was an adventure!

After moving

1. Set your child bedroom-space at first- Try to organize everything as it was at the old place and engage your kid to redecorate their bedroom as they wish. (Sorry, I don’t have any pic available)

2. Engage your child with activities around the neighbor- Get to know the surroundings. Playgrounds are the best because Pinky can play with other kids. Also, we take walks around the neighbors, going to restaurants and visiting stores that she is familiar with (department stores that mostly look the same) like Target, Macy’s, Marshalls! About the restaurants, we ate pizza around 3 times in one week. Why is that? Ok, I know it is not that healthy but Pinky loves pizza and we had a pizzeria next to the supermarket that we used to do the shopping. Therefore, this request is more like a way to cope about the moving (creating security about what she already knows). She’s almost 3 years old and, although, she is mature for her age, she can’t understand or express what is going on and why are not going back “home”. Furthermore, I got part of a meet up group for parents in the area which is a great resource not just for little princess to meet new friend but for mommy, as well. This way we can know about festivals, family friendly activities and places around.            

3. Call family members or friends- While she is talking to them, I tried to remind her about new experiences or discoveries and let her to share about them. She really gets excited at this moment!
4. Try to fill your patience up while your bundle of joy have lots of melt-downs, doesn’t sleep though the night or wakes up crying, wants to sleep with you or gets aggressive (yes, we are having those!). Just cuddle and play as much as your old body allow you.

This is how we were and still trying to help our little one about the moving. However, it is a long process. In the meantime, we are ALLOW to have lots of summer fun!!!

At the beginning of April, Pinky got her first pet: A little beta fish! She was soooo EXCITED with her new friend (ok, maybe the first 2 days!). She helped mommy to prepare her new friend’s house: a bowl decorated with colorful stones, a plant and clean water. She wanted to take pictures with the fish, she called her daddy and talked about it and, also, she read a story to the fish. However, the little fish died three days after we brought him home!

I don’t really know what happened to our pet, it didn’t want to eat and just stayed next to the plastic plant all day long…Pinky just said it loved to sleep…. How could you explain to a little girl that her friend is not anymore with us…she kept believing it was sleeping!

Hubby, using his psychiatry knowledge tried to explain all those things about death and how Goldfish wasn’t with us anymore, etc…..lol….Pinky’s face was priceless….she couldn’t understand what her daddy was talking about….hey, she is just 2 and a half years old…!!!

So, mommy had to explain it just with mommy’s words:

Hey, baby….I think that Goldfish is sad….Maybe he misses his mommy and daddy! What do you think?

Do you know where do fish live? Do you know that the water in the toilet gets to the ocean? Maybe we can help him to get to the ocean with his family and don’t be sad anymore?

Result: Yes, mommy!!! I don’t want Goldfish to be sad!

We said bye bye to our fishy friend and wish him fun during his trip through the flushing! She was happy!!! 

Sometimes a mommy has to step up!!!

If you put together a bored toddler, a mommy with no mobility, a lot of pain, and under the effects of some strong pain medications; and add an aunty whom isn’t used to expend her days with a cold weather and inside the house, you can end CRAZY!!! However, Pinky is in L*O*V*E with my beloved camera and looking at her pictures, so we decided to have some fun. What did we do? Just expressing some feelings! lol

Crying face! (Pinky was really enjoying her activity)

Serious face or maybe a mad face?

Thinking face!

Scary face!

I have a secret face!

Sleepy face!

Mad face! (First attempt)

Mad face! (Second attempt but Pinky was sooo happy) lol

Happy face!

Silly face!

I’m gonna kiss you face!

I am an angel face!

Excited face!

Surprise face! (Pinky got surprised by two big kisses)

This is such a great activity! We had lots of fun making faces, having a picture taken and finally appreciate our ART moment! So far, she gets so happy whenever she sees the photos. She is so good at making faces…..maybe I have a future actress!

If you try it, let us know so we can see how much fun you got!

Blessings!

Linking to:

Show us your best from No time for flashcards!

ABC and 123 Show and tell #46