Publish at May 27 2019 Updated December 06 2023
Managing emotions is probably one of the greatest challenges facing every individual. You only have to look on the Internet to see a large number of adults who are easily carried away by their emotions. Perhaps this reveals a gap in our education? What if, from early childhood, we gave children the opportunity to learn how to express their feelings without going overboard?
Obviously, there's no one-size-fits-all model for children. Everyone experiences things differently. But we do know that some children are hypersensitive. As a result, when a moment of frustration comes along, they throw tantrums that often conceal their insecurity and the pain of being overwhelmed by emotion. Emotional learning is not just for hypersensitive people, but for everyone.
Unlike animal types or colors, emotions are not easy to determine. There is a whole range of inner sensations that children will experience throughout their lives. The task of educators and teachers is therefore to get children to express how they feel, and to offer them clarification on what they are experiencing. For example, a boy who might say he's angry at not having access to a particular book is actually upset. Since he's never heard this word before, you'll have to explain it to him and repeat it so that he comes to associate his state with this expression.
For some people, there is no such thing as negative emotions. For many years, life coaches and counsellors used the expression "negative emotion". But this can be unhealthy, since it means that some of them should be hidden. There are, of course, awkward ways of expressing what you feel to others, but emotion as such is not negative. It represents something important that's going on inside.
Linked to the teaching of emotional management is the whole question of empathy training. Not only is it essential for children to be able to name what they are experiencing, they must also be able to understand what their peers are feeling. This kind of education also helps reduce the violent acts often perpetrated through lack of consideration for others and poor self-control. As this teacher explains, even difficult classes with behavioral problems can learn empathy through games and activities that take the time to clarify emotional states.
Spain seems to be an advanced country in this respect. At the Lycée Français Molière in Madrid, children mime emotions in order to identify them, and come into contact with works of art of all kinds in order to relate to them. In the Canary Islands, this emotional education has been compulsory since 2014. The islands join Malta and the UK as the only European territories to impose this pedagogy.
Nevertheless, without being forced by public authorities, this type of teaching can be introduced as early as the preparatory classes. Obviously, with young children, it is necessary to offer games or visual aids to help them understand. On this site, for example, we discuss how to deal with anger with young children. As we said earlier, it's not a bad thing to be irritated, and it's a good thing to express it rather than repress it.
Instead of hurting someone else or breaking things, a wheel can be set up where the child performs an action to take out his frustration. This could be drawing their anger (or even crumpling up or tearing up the drawing when finished), punching a cushion, running outside screaming, crying, hugging, etc.
The idea of a wheel can be used to express feelings. It identifies the child's emotions and needs, and suggests activities to meet them. A calm-down corner can be set up with a poster where the child can point out the emotion experienced.
As forthis kindergarten teacher, she has adopted non-violent communication with her pupils. She used a blue giant to resolve conflicts. First, in the hoop section, children express themselves freely. Next, the head is used to describe the situation without judging. The heart of the man is used to target the emotions felt, the triangle in the middle of the body gives the little ones the opportunity to communicate their needs, and finally, in the legs section, a solution is found or a request made.
Young and old alike often find it difficult to deal with their emotions, but an emotional education could provide the younger generation with the tools to cope better with what they're feeling. It's an apprenticeship that many adults would also do well to learn.
Illustration: n0r on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
References
Breuer, Catherine. "Des Conflits, Des émotions Et Des Besoins En Maternelle!" Université De Paix Asbl. Last updated: March 3, 2019.
https://www.universitedepaix.org/des-conflits-des-emotions-et-des-besoins-en-maternelle
De Robien, Mathilde. "Comment Aider Un Enfant Précoce à Gérer Son Hypersensibilité?" Aleteia. Last updated: January 13, 2019.
https://fr.aleteia.org/2019/01/13/comment-aider-un-enfant-precoce-a-gerer-son-hyper-sensibilite/
Donzel, Sandrine. "There Are No Negative Emotions!" S Comm C, Le Blog. Last updated: January 26, 2019.
https://blog.scommc.fr/il-ny-a-pas-demotions-negatives/
"Educating for Empathy." Mistress Aurel. Last updated: December 3, 2018.
http://maitresseaurel.eklablog.com/eduquer-a-l-empathie-a153594456
"Les élèves De Maternelle Apprennent à Reconnaître/gérer Leurs émotions." Lycée Français Molière. Last updated: January 25, 2019.
https://liceofrancesmoliere.es/fr/les-maternelles-apprivoisent-leurs-emotions-de-base/
"The Canary Islands Become The First Spanish Autonomous Community To Impose Emotional Education Courses." News And Reflections On Spain. Last updated: April 9, 2019.
https://actualiteespagnole.wordpress.com/2019/04/09/les-iles-canaries-deviennent-la-premiere-communaute-autonome-espagnole-a-imposer-des-cours-deducation-emotionnelle/
Marden, Jennifer. "Learning Words That Express a Feeling or Emotion." AssistiveWare. Accessed May 24, 2019.
https://www.assistiveware.com/fr/blog/apprentissage-des-mots-qui-expriment-un-sentiment-ou-une-emotion
Plourde, Marie. "10 Outils Géniaux Pour La Gestion Des émotions." Mom Favorites. Last updated: April 8, 2019.
https://www.mamanfavoris.com/10-outils-geniaux-pour-la-gestion-des-emotions-des-enfants/
"A Tool For Expressing Anger In A Respectful Manner." Learning to Educate. Last updated: December 3, 2018.
https://apprendreaeduquer.fr/outil-exprimer-colere-maniere-respectueuse/
"A Wheel To Identify Emotions, Needs And Solutions To Get Better." Rigolett. Last updated: July 21, 2018.
http://www.rigolett.com/une-roue-pour-identifier-ses-emotions-ses-besoins-et-les-solutions-pour-aller-mieux/
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