Recognition before regulation
Welcome to the first post in the Quick Tips series!
Imagine this. Your child is working at the kitchen table on a math problem. She seems very focused and is scribbling away on her paper. You leave the room for a moment to start the washing machine. When you come back, her paper is ripped to pieces and she's crying. You ask her what's wrong and she screams, "Math is stupid!" and runs to her room, slamming the door behind her.
Sound familiar? Before we can coach our children on developing emotional regulation, we need to first help them learn to recognize and label their emotions. Download your free printable and keep it near your child's work area. When your child starts to get frustrated, ask him or her to point to the emotion he or she is feeling on the "How are you feeling right now?" scale. You can talk about the signs our bodies give us when we start to get frustrated or angry. Maybe you have a fast heartbeat, clenched fists, or teary eyes. Once we can recognize our emotions climbing up the scale, then we can learn tricks to help keep us from reaching level 5.
Comentários