Dealing with Feelings: Self-Regulation Skills for Kids
#2 of 2 in Resilient Kids Series
What’s inside...
The book 'Dealing with Feelings' explores how resilient children, who are confident in their abilities and maintain emotional control, grow into happy and confident adults. It features short stories about two friends navigating real-life challenges and emotions, guided by wise parents and their own desire to maintain their friendship. These stories are followed by activity pages that allow children to reflect on their feelings and develop self-regulation strategies, making it an ideal tool for teaching emotional resilience and self-regulation skills in early childhood education.
Discussion points
How do you feel when you're upset, and what helps you feel better?
Can you tell me about a time you used one of the techniques from the book to manage your feelings?
What are some ways we can help each other stay calm and happy at home?
Why do you think it's important to talk about our feelings?
How can understanding our feelings help us be better friends or family members?
Tip: Role play these questions
Before reading, ask your child how they're feeling and tie it back to the book’s theme to make the reading experience relatable.
Use expressive reading—changing your tone and volume—to mirror different emotions discussed in the book, making the story come alive and more engaging.
After reading, encourage your child to draw or act out different emotions they learned about, reinforcing their understanding through creative expression.
Relate scenarios from the book to real-life events in your child's life, helping them apply the self-regulation skills they've learned.
Celebrate efforts your child makes in managing emotions, reinforcing positive behavior with praise or a reward system.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Understanding and Managing Emotions
Explanation: The book guides children through various scenarios where characters experience different emotions, demonstrating how they identify and manage them effectively.
Real-World Application: Children can use these skills to navigate their own feelings in social settings or at home, helping them to react appropriately and feel more in control.
Example Lesson: Empathy Towards Others
Explanation: Characters in the book often encounter friends who feel upset or angry. The stories show how they learn to understand and empathize with their peers' feelings.
Real-World Application: This lesson teaches children the importance of empathy, enabling them to build stronger, more understanding relationships with others around them.
Example Lesson: Problem-Solving Skills
Explanation: The book presents various emotional challenges faced by the characters, illustrating how they come up with solutions to resolve their conflicts or dilemmas.
Real-World Application: Kids learn to apply critical thinking to overcome their own challenges in daily life, developing resilience and decision-making skills.
Example Lesson: Self-expression
Explanation: Through the characters’ journeys, the book highlights the importance of expressing one's feelings honestly and respectfully, rather than keeping them bottled up.
Real-World Application: By learning to express themselves, children can communicate more clearly and effectively, avoiding misunderstandings and strengthening their social interactions.
Example Lesson: Recognizing Triggers
Explanation: The narrative helps children identify what triggers negative emotions in the characters, highlighting the cause and effect of certain situations.
Real-World Application: Understanding what triggers their emotions helps children to anticipate and handle their reactions better, promoting greater emotional stability.