Helping kids express feelings

It has been said many times that kids are not little adults! In an age dependent fashion, children have different modes of expression of their feelings. It is sometimes frightening to them that they can’t control their feelings. Often children may not  know why they are feeling differently. It is helpful for parents to name or identify the feelings such as anger or frustration. Naming the emotion allows for the beginning of resolution. It may be necessary to use pictures or words to identify feelings. Is extremely important for parents to listen and to tell their children that they are listening. Describing and identifying feelings of others is also helpful. A favorite toy maybe having a difficult day or maybe sad. It can be an opening to allow children to express some of their feelings.