The Benefts of Helping Preschoolers Understand and Discuss Their EmotionsIncreasingly, research confrms the efcacy of explicit training inemotional intelligence starting at a ery young age! "ccording tomultiple studies, preschoolers #ho participate in social$emotional s%ills programs exhi&it less aggression and anxiety and &ecome &etter social pro&lem solers! 'hile these outcomes may ma%e for a more peaceful classroom enironment, the &enefts outlie preschool( prosocial &ehaior in early childhood is strongly linked #ith future academic performance and mental health!In other #ords, #hen children learn ho# tocalm themseles do#n, use language to express their feelings and treat others #ith %indness, they are laying the foundation for future success and #ellness!What Parents and Teachers Can Do1. Name emotions)e*ectie listening is a hallmar% of e+ectie counseling! Therapists listen to patients and then re*ect &ac% #hat they hear as a #ay to strengthen the patients, self$understanding! Toddlers and preschoolers hae limited expressie language s%ills, &ut parents and teachers can -listen. to their behavior / &e it yelling, pushing, crying, or #ithdra#ing /reflect it back, and help them put a name to #hat they are feeling! It might sound li%e this( -0ou are mad1 Ba&y &rother ripped your picture and you are 2"D!. -0ou are sad! 3randma left and you didn,t #ant her to leae! 0ou feel so, so sad!. -0ou are happy1 0ou got a &ig &alloon and you are 4umping up and do#n &ecause you are so happy1."s children mature, you can use this strategy to introduce nuances that #ill &uild their emotional oca&ulary( -0ou sound frustrated! 0our to#er fell do#n and you #or%ed hard to ma%e it tall1 That,s disappointing!. 5r, -0ou loo% startled! That thunder #as really loud, and it surprised you!.2. Normalize emotionsEmotions should not &e classified as good or &ad!Een so, strong emotions can scare or oer#helm %ids, so normali6ing their response to stimuli / helping them see that eeryone feels mad, sad, or scared sometimes / can comfort them and &uild their perspectie$ta%ing s%ills! "fter the child has calmed do#n, circle &ac% and &rie*y summari6e #hat happened, including ho# the child felt! Then, remind them that eeryone / including you / feels this #ay sometimes! 7or example, -'hen grandma left this morning, you felt ery sad! 0ou %ic%ed and cried! 0ou #anted grandma to stay and play #ith you! Eeryone feels sad sometimes! I felt sad #hen grandma left, too! I li%e tal%ing #ith her and #atching her read &oo%s to you! It,s sad #hen people say good&ye! Do you #ant call her tomorro# to say hello or dra# her a picture8.9ome adanced #arning( Don,t &e surprised if a child #ants to hear the story a&out -the time I got mad at Target. multiple times! But such repetition has its &enefts( #ith the triggering eent safely in the past, you and the child can use it as a reference point #hen encountering future emotional stimuli!3. Develop Strategies"t some point, almost eeryone learns that thro#ing a physical tantrum in the middle of the chec%out aisle is not a #ise choice, &ut that doesn,t mean #e don,t feel frustrated #hen #e are running late and stuc% in a slo# line! 'e can,t al#ays control ho# #e feel, &ut #e can control ho# #e express our emotions!Building on 7red )ogers, legacy, the PB9 sho# Daniel Tigers Neighborhood proides memora&le musical promptsa&out ho# %ids can respond to emotional stress / eerything from -'hen you feel so mad that you #ant to roar, ta%e a deep &reath and count to four. to -9aying I,m sorry is the frst step, then ho# can I help8. to -0oucan ta%e a turn, and then I,ll get it &ac%!.0ou can help children deelop #ith similar simple, memora&le strategies! If a child is struggling #ith a particular aggressie &ehaior, help them er&ali6e &oth #hat they can,t do and #hat they can, such as, -'hen I,m mad, I can,t hit my &rother, &ut I can stomp my feet or s:uee6e my &all!. 0ou can also model the connection &et#een mood and healthy eating, exercise, and sleeping( -9ometimes #hen I,m frustrated, I eat a healthy snac% or ta%e a nap to help me feel &etter!.4. ead! pict"resResearch indicates that reading fction promotes empathy! 7or little ones, picture &oo%s o+er an additional tool for teaching emotional literacy( illustrations that sere as isual context clues! 'hen a happy, scary, or frustrating eent occurs in a story, pause and loo% at the picture together! -;oo% at her / ho# do you thin% she,s feeling right no#8. Examine characters, facial expressions, ho# they are standing, and #hat they are doing! Employ this same techni:ue #hen you #atch media together! " fe# picture &oo% authors #ho are particularly s%illed at exploring emotion in print and picture are Kevin Henkes, Patricia Polacco and Mo Willems!#. Practice mind$"lness2indfulness has its roots in Buddhism &ut has &een adopted b clinicians and teachers as a #ay to support mental health and improe emotional self$regulation! " %ey principle to this practice is calming your &ody and mind and paying attention to the sensations around you / the sounds, smells, and sights! Practice sitting :uietly #ith your child or students for