I hope you are enjoying the days getting longer, the daffodils rising and blooming, the warm sun rays reaching across the bare canopy.
This half-term, among all the nature activities planned around the rising energy of spring, I also decided to thread some activities about emotions throughout the sessions. Toddlers have big emotions and it can be tricky to navigate them at times.
My intention is to gently guide the children to take a moment during each session to acknowledge how they feel, to develop a bank of vocabulary, express a range of emotions and to learn that all emotions are legitimate (positive and challenging ones)
We started this practice last week and the children really embraced it. We looked at how our facial expressions and our body change with different emotions, then used what we could find on the forest floor to recreate these expressions.
We had the greatest conversation when little James shared that he believed that “Florence is always happy”. Really, I owed it to him to express how this wasn’t the truth. Yes, I am always happy to welcome you at forest school but believe me, I am not always happy. I have big emotions too! 🙂
Many adults never take the time to press pause and check-in, it takes practice to make it a habit. Our body keeps scores of what is not being properly processed.
Starting this process early with our children helps them to develop this healthy habit.
It’s easy to understand why. Remember the last time you got frustrated, angry or sad? Go back to that moment. Where did you feel it in your body? If you did confide into a friend, even if they couldn’t “fix” what’s happening in your life, you probably felt heard and therefore lighter. The moment your emotion is acknowledged and validated, it becomes easier to bear.
The key is to acknowledge it first yourself so you can then verbalise, communicate your feelings and then truly move forward rather than burying it all down.
Let’s make this clear, it doesn’t have to be a daily lengthy conversation (unless your child wants to). Here are two questions you can ask:
How do you feel in your heart today?
How do you feel in your body?
And then hold the space for your child to express themselves in their own words. As much as possible, hold back from trying to fix what’s going on if your child is experiencing something difficult. I know, that’s hard! As parents, we would do anything for them not to feel pain but the best way to help is to listen. Children who are being listened to will build an inner confidence, knowing that living difficult moments do happen in life but that they are equipped to deal with them.
So it could look like something like this:
“I understand you feel that way, it’s hard when someone doesn’t want to play with you, how did it make you feel?” The child will probably start by using with words like “sad” or “angry” As they grow older, they will move on to words like “frustrated”, “left out” ,“lonely”, ”unseen”…
Slowly introduce new words, allowing them to become more descriptive as they grow.
Many of you know that I am a transformational life coach (www.toyourpath.com, Insta @to_your_path) So many lovely people I work with struggle with this. That can leave them feeling broken, overwhelmed and lost.
So perhaps, as you develop this little habit with your child, ask yourself the same questions:
How am I feeling in my heart?
How am I feeling in my body?
How am I feeling in my mind?
And then take action. It all starts there.
Reading a variety of storybooks with your children will help developing that range of vocabulary too.
Last week, I shared Giraffes can’t dance in session
It’s a wonderful story on so many levels; from the range of emotions Gerald feels throughout the story to the discovery of your own worth.
| Mindfulness meditations for children |
| If you are looking for a bit of support managing those big emotions, here’s a reminder of the meditation I created for children, with the lovely Janet from @seetieverse
Check out other meditations here |
