CNN Health offers us tips on helping children process emotions and feelings. with assistance from Indianapolis behavioral pediatrician Dr. Nerissa Bauer and Professor Marc Brackett, also the director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.
Megan Marples writes that parents and caregivers should (excerpt):
“start by helping children identify emotions in the moment [whether happy or sad]”
“state what emotion they [parents/caregivers] are feeling and why”
“[build] the belief that talking about emotions is normal and encourages [children] to share”
“[help children learn] how to process [emotions] in a healthy way”
“teach . . . children self-calming methods like deep breathing, meditation or playing outside”
“share stories of how they’ve handled specific situations when they have had negative emotions”