How to Help Kids Cope with Emotions?

As a toddler or preschooler, your child is just beginning to understand the world around them. Their emotions are new and can often be overwhelming. As parents (or grandparents, teachers, or coaches), it's essential to set a positive example for how to help children manage emotions.

The emotional development of children significantly influences their mental health and well-being into adulthood. Research shows that between the second and fifth years of life, children start to distinguish their own feelings and those of other people around them.

By focusing on building a system of emotional support for kids, you can improve their ability to cope with big emotions. When you support your child this way, it creates a strong foundation for emotional resilience.

Want to learn how to support emotional development in early childhood? Leading brain health expert and author of Raising Mentally Strong Kids Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Jesse Payne, an expert in education and social-emotional learning, share valuable insights in Brain Thrive Pre-K – Grade 1 course.

In this blog, you’ll discover some of their most effective tools and strategies for helping kids cope with emotions in healthy ways.

“I Have Feelings:” Teaching Self-Awareness to Kids

One of the first steps in teaching emotional regulation to children is showing them how to build self-awareness. As young children start to experience complex feelings, the overwhelm can turn into frustration, tantrums, and other behavioral changes.

By encouraging them to recognize and name their emotions, you can help them feel more in control of their emotional world. Self-awareness allows them to understand what they are feeling and why, making it easier for them to express their emotions appropriately.

Emotional self-regulation lays the groundwork to better equip youngsters to handle their emotions and take steps to calm down, such as asking for help or taking a break.

Parents play an important role in helping kids develop self-awareness. According to a 2024 study, children whose parents have healthy emotional resilience tend to have better emotional resilience as they grow older.

“I Can Share My Feelings:” Encouraging Expressive Communication

Once a child can identify their emotions, the next step is teaching them how to share their feelings with others. Communication is a powerful tool in emotional regulation. It’s essential to give emotional support for kids to learn how to express their feelings in a productive way.

A simple technique that helps emotional development in early childhood is the statement:

"I feel ______ when ______ because ______."

The simple structure of this sentence encourages children to express their emotions clearly. Here are a few examples of how to help children manage emotions:

• “I feel sad when my friend leaves because I will miss them.”
• “I feel frustrated when I can’t find my toy because I want to play with it.”
• “I feel mad when someone takes my turn because it feels unfair.”

By giving kids the right language to describe their emotions, you empower them to communicate their feelings more effectively. This helps them manage their emotions and have healthier interactions with others.

“I Can Check in With My Feelings:” Practicing Emotional Awareness

Checking in with emotions is a key practice in emotional development in early childhood. By encouraging kids to pause and reflect on their feelings, you help them build a strong mind-body connection. Emotional awareness is crucial in teaching children how to manage their emotions to respond to situations rather than react impulsively.

This practice of mindfulness often helps them stay grounded, even during overwhelming or uncertain situations. Children who engage in regular emotional check-ins have better self-control and coping skills.

Research shows the importance of emotional awareness in early childhood as children who can identify and manage their emotions are better prepared for social and academic success.

“I Can Check in With My Breathing:” The Power of Deep Breathing

Sometimes, children become so overwhelmed by their emotions that they forget one of the simplest ways to calm down: deep belly breathing. When stressed, frustrated, or anxious, children may forget to take deep, calming breaths. Teaching them to check in with their breathing throughout the day is an essential strategy for emotional regulation.

Deep belly breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps calm the body and reduce stress. The goal is to provide tools to reduce anxiety and improve emotional control in children.

A Stanford research study found that children who practiced deep breathing regularly showed a significant reduction in physiological response symptoms like anxiety and emotional dysregulation. Learning to pause and reset with deep breathing is one of the best calming strategies for children that can help them sustain healthy emotional responses.

“I Can Practice Mindfulness:” Simple Ways to Foster Emotional Resilience

Mindfulness is a concept that even very young children can learn. Basically, it involves staying present and focused on what they are feeling. It’s about teaching them to slow down and reflect on their emotions before reacting.

It can’t be overstated how mindfulness is one of the most effective tools for teaching emotional regulation to children. In fact, research shows it can help kids sleep better by an extra hour or more, which has some of the most significant benefits as they grow.

Helping them stay present, observe their own thoughts and feelings, and respond in a calm and measured way doesn't have to be complicated. Here are five simple exercises of mindfulness for kids to practice regularly:

• Breathing Exercises: Teach children to take slow deep breaths expanding their full belly while counting to four as they inhale and counting to eight as they exhale.
• Mindful Walking: Encourage kids to walk slowly, paying attention to each step and how their body feels as they take that step.
• Body Scan: Have children close their eyes and focus on each part of their body—from their fingers to their toes—noticing any tension or relaxation.
• Gratitude Practice: Ask kids to think of three things they’re thankful for each day, write it down if they can, then you can talk about it with them.
• Mindful Coloring: Provide children with a coloring sheet and ask them to focus on the colors and patterns as they make the image come to life.

These simple activities can help build emotional resilience in kids and give them a sense of control in their own lives. As they grow up, these mindfulness practices will become invaluable tools for managing their emotions.

Help for Kids and Emotional Health

The emotional health of your child today directly impacts their mental health in adulthood. Make it a priority to support emotional development in early childhood and implement calming strategies for your little one’s emotional growth. They will thank you for it later.

Get your roadmap to help kids cope with emotions in healthy ways by signing up for Brain Thrive Pre-K – Grade 1 course.