Putting Words to Common Emotions
With G’s most recent leap in development it has made him increasingly aware of being an individual and expressing his feelings.💡
From day one we have always acknowledged and put words to his emotions. We did this to help him identify and learn what he was feeling. The emotions were simple then... happy, sad, tired, maybe even angry at times and a few others. But a quick acknowledgement and genuine expression of understanding would usually do the trick. 🥰
However with this new level of emotional and social awareness, his feelings are more complex and nuanced. He’s beginning to experience feelings like fear, guilt, frustration, and wistfulness, just to name a few. 😕
To help him navigate the tide of strong emotions he is experiencing I’ve been focusing on materials and activities specific to learning emotions.👩🏻🏫
One activity, Facial Expression Mirror Work, has been fun for us. Thanks to Mama’s Happy Hive for sharing this. 🥰
The idea is to have the child examine a card, while the guide discusses the emotion on the card, and then ask him or her to practice making that expression while using the mirror. 🪞👦🏻
It’s a super cute idea and effective in helping the child understand what a specific feeling looks like. 😍
🔸Materials🔸
🔘Mirror
🔘Emotions Learning Cards from Amazon
✨Benefits✨
🔘Builds emotional intelligence
🔘Strengthen visual distinguishing skills.
🔘Supports self-regulation and problem solving
🔘Builds hand-eye coordination
🔘Strengthens fine and gross motor control
🔘Language development
