Learning about emotions is a process that starts at a very young age. Babies as young as 3 months will begin to notice different facial expressions and react to them.

Drawing children’s attention to emotions from a young age can help them match facial expressions with feelings they experience and attach a label to them. This is important for being able to understand and express how they feel at any given moment, a vital step in being able to manage and regulate emotions.

Talk about emotions openly at home. Help your child link images they see with real emotions by linking them to their own lives and experiences. For example, you could say “She looks a bit worried. Remember your first day at pre-school and you felt a bit worried going in because you didn’t know anyone? I wonder what she is worried about. Maybe….”.

By opening up these conversations from a young age and talking about emotions freely, you are normalising them and sending a message that you are available and listening when they need you most ❤️