Building your Child's Emotional Vocabulary
Books about emotions are everywhere, but we LOVE Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis. This story stands out because it normalizes the range of emotions we feel as humans. When we are able to label a feeling it opens up the opportunity to regulate ourselves and move forward in our day. Fostering emotional intelligence is important starting at an early age, so that children can develop a robust vocabulary to communicate the way they are feeling. Emotional vocabulary goes beyond classifying feelings as good and bad or negative and positive.
Children’s literature has the power to open up important conversations with your child in a low-pressure way. While reading this story, pause to see if your child would like to share a time where they felt a certain way. You can give your own examples too! Another way you can support your child’s emotional vocabulary is to label your own emotions throughout the day. For example “I am feeling frustrated because I lost my car keys”. Remember: it’s important for your child to know that you feel a range of emotions. This will help them feel better honoring the way they are feeling at any given moment!