Young children can learn about and express feelings through play. Perpetualpreschool.com includes suggestions for various games and activities designed to help children name their emotions. Help children help figure out the problem and feelings facing a paper cutout of a child. Ask children to discuss pictures of faces expressing different emotions. Simple puppets of faces glued onto Popsicle sticks encourage children to act out scenarios. These activities help the very young child begin to identify emotions.
"Health For Children" is a video series that includes a video and related activities for discussing feelings. Designed for grades K-4, the program's discussion and activities could be modified for wider use. The material includes a vocabulary list, book lists and suggested websites. Some suggested books include "Feelings" by Aliki and Spelman's "When I Feel Jealous." Children can discuss the book or video and act out the feelings presented.
Sandbox Learning encourages children to keep a feelings journal. "Use the journal to write about events and the emotions, responses, and consequences the events elicited." Advanced Parenting states that "challenging children" should write in a feelings journal "every day for at least ten or fifteen minutes." Children are asked to process how the feeling could be better handled in the future.
Per Sandbox Learning, adults can help children plan for encountering strong feelings. Teachers are encouraged to find "a phrase the child can use to remove themselves from stressful or upsetting situations" such as, "Excuse me. I need a minute to think." Squeezing stress balls or jumping on trampolines release emotions. When a child reacts positively, Family Matters Parenting Magazine suggests adults give "specific, supportive feedback about his interactions." Teaching about feelings yields success.