As a parent, we have all heard “the terrible twos” or “threenager” or any other lingo used to refer to a small child who has lots of emotions. Let’s flip the script and call them “teachable twos and threes.” When you look at it a little differently, this can be some of the most magical times with your child. YOU get to be their first teacher and show them the world. The easiest thing to start with? EMOTIONS!
Beginning around age 2, children become increasingly aware of the emotions of others. They begin to develop the skill of empathy, or the ability to understand the emotions of others. About this age, their social worlds also start to expand, as does their library of vocabulary and skills for observation. Early childhood is the perfect time to begin working on Social-Emotional development skills with your child. One of the easiest ways to begin focusing on increasing emotional awareness is through children’s literature. There are many amazing books on the market that can be used as a tool for social-emotional learning.
In my experience working with toddlers and preschoolers, I found that books that contain real faces (photos) of children and adults were the easiest for the kids to engage with. As we would flip through and read the book, we would stop to look at all the faces. Try this…
- You can have your child guess what they think the child or adult in the photo is feeling.
- You can have your child mimic the face that is on the page.
- While looking at each face, label the emotion you are seeing.
- Make it fun. Keep it simple.
Try this script: “That smile tells me they are feeling happy. Can you make a happy face? Look at my happy face!”
Awareness and exposure to social-emotional cues create experiences for children to absorb knowledge from the world around them. I encourage you to explore some picture books with your child and see how they respond.
Here are some favorites:
- Lots of Feelings: Shelley Rottner
- Baby Faces: DK
- Can You Make A Happy Face?: Janice Behrens
- Making Faces: A First Book of Emotions (Baby Loves Books): Abrams Appleseed
- Little Faces, Big Feelings: Amy Morrison
Another great way to add in consistent books with real pictures that tackle real life child-centered struggles, is the Lovevery kits. Each one has at least one book that is a snippet of a child’s life. We are currently reading Bea Gets a Checkup and Bedtime for Zoe on repeat at our house. The pure fascination with another child’s experiences and emotions is palpable and important as our children grow.
By Mitzie Moser & Becca Thiemann
