Little Books for Big Feelings
It should come as no surprise that emotions are a hot topic in our house: 4 kids under the age of 6 (3 of whom are girls), a dad who teaches & speaks about emotions & anxiety & performance for a living, a nana who's a therapist and a mom who's utmost passion is making sure the hearts of her babies are safe & sound.
We talk about feelings & emotions often and you'll frequently hear our kids use words like "frustrated" or "anxious", they'll share that they have a "happy heart" or that they have "mr worry" in their tummy". My favorite is when Winnie tells me she's "a wittle bit worried dat you gonna turn off da show" :)
One of the best ways we've found to educate our kids about emotions and to open the floor for discussion is through books. There are SO many good books out there, but these are a few of our most read/very favorite. When Worry Takes Hold is my all-time favorite and has changed the course of our kids. You'll hear Bellamy repeat to herself: "Breath in Courage - Breath out Worry" . There's nothing quite like knowing you're equipping & empowering your kids to face their emotions & fears head on.
ONE - TWO // THREE - FOUR // FIVE - SIX // SEVEN - EIGHT
Our kids also loved guided meditation on youtube (just search "KIDS GUIDED MEDITATION") before bed time and they will frequently fall asleep during medatation. We also use our essential oils to boost our moods, help lull us into deep & restful sleeps, and support big heavy emotions.
The hearts of our littles are OH SO fragile and educating & equipping them to face their emotions, accept them, understand them and work through them is so important.
