Talk about feelings
Before a child can say “I’m sad,” they first have to notice the feeling, find a word for it and dare to say it aloud. The visual support below walks through each of those steps.
♂Talk about feelings
A boy points to a speech bubble containing icons for a heart, a tear drop, and a sad smiley, representing talking about feelings.
About this visual support
Talking about feelings is really three jobs at once: noticing what is moving inside the body, putting a label on it and then sharing it with someone. Many children get stuck at step one – the stomach feels tight, but no word has arrived yet.
Pictures give them something to point at when language runs out. When an angry face sits next to a slightly sad one, it becomes easier to compare and choose than to search empty air. A concrete tip: start with two cards, not six. Place them in front of the child and ask which one fits best right now. Add one new card a week as their vocabulary grows.
The listener has a job too – slowing down. Confirm what the child points to before asking why. That turns the conversation into a soft landing instead of an interview. In the Routined app you can build a small, personal set of feeling cards that travels with you from the kitchen table to the car.