Student Resource Area for: Guiding Children's Social Development and Learning, 6E
Chapter 5 - Responding to Children's Emotions
Key Points
I. Formulate affective reflections.
 Observe children carefully before saying anything.
 Be sensitive to the wide range of emotions children exhibit.
 Make a nonjudgmental assessment of what the child is
experiencing.
 Make a brief statement to the child describing the emotion you
observe.
 Use a variety of feeling words over time.
 Acknowledge children's emotions even when you do not feel
comfortable with them.
 Revise inaccurate reflections.
II. Promote children’s understanding and communication about emotions.
 Use stories, books, and songs to prompt discussions about
emotions.
 Set an example for talking about emotions by bringing them up
yourself.
 Help children recognize opportunities to describe their emotions to
others.
 Provide children with sample scripts to help them talk about their
emotions.
 Help children figure out how another person is feeling based on
that person’s actions.
 Draw children's attention to situational cues that contribute to
people's emotions.
 Help children sort out mixed emotions.
 Make deliberate efforts to talk with both boys and girls about their
emotions.
 Learn about the cultural variations in emotional expression that the
children and families within your group represent.
III. Help children cope with strong emotions.
 Acknowledge children's strong emotions.
 Comfort children who are sad or afraid.
 Redefine events to help children manage strong emotions.
 Anticipate new situations that may cause some children to feel
insecure, prompting intense reactions.
 Allow children to approach a feared situation gradually.

Teach children self-regulating strategies they can use to manage
their emotions more effectively.
 Give children many opportunities to experience joy, happiness, and
humor.
IV. Communicate with family members about emotions.
 Provide information to family members about the emotions
children experience during their time with you.
 Elicit information from family members about children's emotional
lives at home.
 Help family members better understand typical facets of children's
emotional development.
 Pay attention to the emotions family members express.
 Accept family member emotions, even when those emotions make
you uncomfortable.
 Put a check on defensive reactions when family members express
anger aimed at you or the program.
V. Avoid common pitfalls.
 Sounding "all knowing."
 Accusing children.
 Coercing children into talking about their emotions.