We simply cannot start nurturing emotional literacy too early, which is why
I love this board that they've installed at our neighborhood park.
The prompt was simple: Show me how you feel when we come to the park. And James didn't hesitate to point to the happy face in response.
Oh, did I mention that he's only about 14 months old?
I'm not sure I did the best job of this as a new mom back in the early 90s, but my counseling career helped me sharpen those skills and I'm feeling much more adept at it now, in my second-change go round with our grandchildren.
The other day, our 9-month old grandson, who's going through a bit of a stranger danger phase, started to cry when they came over to a new-to-him house. Our two-year-old granddaughter couldn't understand why the baby was crying, so I explained to her that he's just nervous around all of the new people. Seconds later, I heard her across the room, explaining to her friend, three-year-old Ella, that baby Andy is crying because he's feeling nervous. Music to a school counselor's ears!
So when do we start nurturing emotional literacy?
As soon as our babies are born.
Baby cries. Mom responds, "Oh, it sounds like you might be sad.
Could it be that you have a wet diaper? Or that you're hungry?"
No, they're not going to understand or respond for about a year,
but one day it'll click and they'll be able to share how they feel
and what they need instead of letting you figure the tears out.
Books are a beautiful catalyst for building emotional vocabulary;
this montage of some of our favorites is a nice start.
Our granddaughter really enjoys reading Maya Was Grumpy.
Just watch her body language and listen to her tone.
I love how early in childhood they can comprehend
and empathize with what's happening with the
emotions and feelings that underlie the story.
Video songs can also be helpful in learning to express emotions.
Try Happy Happy Train, for example,
Dr. Emily Celebrates 10 Feelings Songs is another great resource to
help sharpen those emotional literacy skills in our littlest learners.
When I was young, it was common to hear, "Quit crying or I'll give you something to cry about." or "Go to your room until you have a better attitude." I'm so grateful that times have changed and we're getting better at normalizing emotions and talking about our feelings to process through what's going on in our heads and on out hearts. I love watching our granddaughter comfort her dolls as they watch Tarzan together. "It's okay, baby, I gotcha baby. It's just Tarzan. Don't be scared."
Pretend play for the win; so much emotional mastery in that one interaction with her baby doll.
Where have you seen emotional literacy at its finest, dear reader?
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