Emotional Self Control

Question 1

Teach your children a vocabulary of nuanced emotions for example annoyed versus furious

Answer 1

Model emotional regulation by labeling your own feelings out loud and how you react to them.

Question 2

Teach feeling vocabulary through books by discussing what feeling the characters had and asking your child to make connections to their own situations

Answer 2

When you see your child experiencing an emotion, you can help build awareness of feelings by labeling it for them. Use the “notice and explore” technique to gently help your child understand what he is feeling.

Question 3

If your child acts out when experiencing a strong emotion, label it, validate it and provide a clear direction about what she should do instead of the negative behavior

Answer 3

If your child has an outburst, model calmness and use a firm and confident voice to correct the situation

Question 4

Teach family values such as being safe, responsible, and respectful and remind your child of the rule when it is broken. Also praise your child when she manages her emotions well and does a behavior that follows the family rules.

Answer 4

Know your child’s triggers for emotional behavioral reactions. When you see your child triggered, try the notice and explore technique. Punishment for inappropriate behavior should be a natural consequence not arbitrary