Good Day Everyone

Welcome back to the new year, hope you all had a good break!

‘Emotions’ - we all have them, the good the bad and the ugly!

Let’s talk about emotions for a quick minute, as our children have many to deal with especially at the start of a new school year.

It is important to let them know that emotions are normal and teach them how to work through them.

A few things to keep in mind to help our children:

Children should feel safe to discuss emotions and feelings with family, friends, teachers, and other trusted adults. It is important for kids to have a safe support system! Sharing their positive feelings can reinforce good behaviour and help them celebrate accomplishments. Sharing their negative feelings can help take some of the burden from them to allow them to be able to process and form a deeper understanding of themselves. It is ok to feel all the feels!

Parent can ask themselves these questions which is helpful in helping children with their emotions:  Have you ever been angry? Did you ask yourself why you’re angry? Did you acknowledge your emotion as valid and real? How did you move forward and release that anger in a healthy way? Parents can ask and answer these same questions with joy and sadness, and all the other emotions as well.

Some Positive ways to express and release emotions

1. Reading – read books with your child and discuss how the characters handle emotion, diversity, and conflict -there are a lot of books available in shops and online
2. Art – have your child draw, paint, collage, or sketch how he or she is feeling
3. Writing – have your child start a journal and write down how he or she felt throughout the day
4. Music – have your child pick a song that describes how he or she feels and turn the volume up
5. Talk – create a safe space at home where your child can tell you exactly how he or she is feeling, ask questions, and help him or her feel in control by coming up with a plan
6. Take a break – sometimes it’s best just to take a break and let your child’s mind calm down so you can have a thoughtful discussion when the time is right

At Alkimos Primary School we use the Zones of Regulation. Have a look at the link below for some great strategies.

https://zonesofregulation.com/