Emotions are an integral part of children’s daily lives. Happiness, sadness, anger or even fear can be expressed more or less intensely depending on the situation. It is therefore crucial to help our children better understand and manage their emotions to enable them to grow well and develop good emotional balance. Here are four ways to help them manage their negative emotions.
1. Encourage the expression of emotions
The first step towards better management of emotions remains first and foremost in their recognition and expression. To do this, it is essential to teach our child to put words to what they feel.
Take the time to listen and talk with your child
It can be difficult for a child to verbalize their emotions, especially when it comes to negative feelings such as sadnessthere anger or the fear. Take the time to listen to your child and talk with him by helping him express what he feels. You can also guide him in this process by offering him terms adapted to his age and his experiences.
- I noticed you were sad when you left your friend. Do you want to explain to me why?
- I can see that something is scaring you, is it about a particular event? Do you want to tell me about it?
Do not judge or minimize the child’s emotions
Each child is unique and experiences their emotions differently. It is therefore essential not to pass judgment on what our offspring feels. Likewise, we must avoid minimizing their emotions: what may seem unimportant to us adults can be very intense for a child.
2. Value moments of joy
Learning to manage negative emotions also involves valuing moments of happiness. Know how to highlight moments of complicity, sharing and pleasure to help your child better manage difficult situations.
Take the time to share fun and enjoyable activities
There is nothing like sharing quality time with your child to promote their emotional development. Take advantage of these moments to chat with him, to laugh, to play. This will not only allow him to feel loved and understood, but also to gradually develop his brain region dedicated to emotion regulation.
- Take a family walk or organize an outing to the park
- Share creative hobbies, such as drawing or music
- Cook together a dish or dessert that the child particularly likes
3. Implement calming strategies
Negative emotions can sometimes overflow and overwhelm us, both children and adults. It is essential to offer our child different techniques to channel these emotions and express them in a constructive way.
Breathing to calm anger or fear
During a moment of anger or worry, suggest that your child take a few moments to focus on their breathing. This simple technique not only calms the body and mind, but also creates a space for communication to address the causes of discomfort with more serenity.
- Suggest this method:“Inhale deeply to the count of four, then exhale slowly to the count of four. »
Distraction to alleviate sadness
In cases of great sadness, it can be useful to help your child distract himself so that he does not ruminate on his negative thoughts. To do this, pay attention to his interests and offer him an activity that he enjoys:
- Make a cinema session at home with your favorite film
- Play a board game or video games
- Read together a book that the child particularly likes
4. Take care of your own emotional health
As a parent, our attitude and our personal management of emotions will influence our children. It is essential to take care of ourselves to be able to better support them in their emotional development.
Implement emotional regulation strategies
Like your child, consider putting into practice certain techniques to better manage your own negative emotions:
- Meditation or yoga to reduce stress and promote well-being
- Physical exercise to relieve tension and stimulate the production of endorphins, the hormones of happiness
- Keeping a journal to express your thoughts and feelings and gain perspective on your life
Take time for yourself
Even if your role as a parent occupies a large place in your daily life, you must not neglect your own needs and desires. Regularly allow yourself some time just for you to do an activity you enjoy: reading, sports, outings with friends, etc. A rested and fulfilled parent will be even more able to support their child on the path to emotional balance.
It is essential to consider negative emotions as an integral part of our children’s emotional development. As parents, our role is to guide them in understanding their feelings and to offer them tools to better manage them on a daily basis. It is up to us to pass on the right keys to growing serenely and firmly anchored in this emotional whirlwind that is life.
