This blog will be focusing on helping your child develop the language to express what they're feeling - a crucial skill that transforms overwhelming experiences into manageable ones.
🗣️ Why Emotional Vocabulary Matters
When children can name their emotions accurately, they gain power over them. Research shows that children with rich emotional vocabularies have better self-regulation, stronger relationships, and improved mental health outcomes.
Think of emotions like colours - instead of just "sad" or "happy," we want to help children recognise the full spectrum: disappointed, frustrated, excited, content, worried, or proud.
🛠️ Practical Ways to Build Emotional Language
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📚 Read Emotion-Rich Stories Together Choose books that explore different feelings. Pause to discuss: "How do you think the character felt when that happened?" This builds emotional awareness naturally.
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🎨 Create an Emotion Wheel Draw or print a wheel with different emotions. When your child is upset, help them point to what they're feeling. This gives them vocabulary when words feel difficult.
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🪞 Model Emotional Language Daily "I'm feeling overwhelmed with all these tasks, so I'm going to prioritise what's most important." Your everyday emotional honesty teaches them it's safe to express feelings.
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🎭 Use Emotion Check-Ins Make it routine: "How are you feeling right now?" Accept all answers without trying to fix or change them immediately.
💡 DID YOU KNOW?
Children who can accurately identify and express emotions by age 5 show significantly better social skills and academic performance throughout primary school. The emotional vocabulary you help build now becomes their lifelong toolkit.
About Katie
Katie is an Integrative Psychotherapist (MBACP) working with children, young people, and adults in Manchester. She specialises in trauma, attachment, and emotional development.
📍 Private Practice, Manchester | 📧katielong.counselling@gmail.com| 📱 @_therapywithkatie
Copyright 2025 Psychotherapy with Katie