Cry in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tired.

Are more aware of which people are familiar and which are strangers.

Start to prefer some toys over others.

Enjoy simple interactive games, like patty-cake and peekaboo. (Morin, nd).

2. Playing Peekaboo- Cover your face with hands or a blanket for a moment and then uncover your face and say Peek a boo, will help an infant learn that even though they don’t see you, you are still there.

Start simple pretend play, like imitating what adults or other kids are doing.

Become interested in having other kids around but are more likely to play alongside them (parallel play) than with them (cooperative play). (Morin, nd).

2. Mirror, mirror

“In this game, one person makes a face, and the other person copies it. Take this game a step

further by having children identify the emotion they are mirroring.

Recognizing emotional expressions is key for successful social interaction and effective

interpersonal communication.” (Millacci, 2022).

Are interested in pretend play, but may confuse real and “make believe”.

Start playing with other kids and separate from caregivers more easily.

May still have tantrums because of changes in routine or not getting what they want.

Enjoy playing with other kids and are more conversational and independent.

Test boundaries but are still eager to please and help out. (Morin, nd).

“This physical game involves rules that delineate the two roles for players, which determine how the player should act.

In this game, the lead player calls out “Red light!” and “Green light!” while the remaining players run toward the lead player when the light is “green” and stop when it’s “red.” In this active game, players practice control of their physical body and emotions.” (Millacci, 2022).

2.Teach the children words to know and describe their feelings. This can be done through an emotion or how are you feeling chart, emotion dolls, emotion cards, books about feelings, or just making faces and talking about what feelings you are showing.

Examples:

When a child is having big feelings, they can tell an adult how they are feeling with words and learn that it is okay to have these feelings.

Using breathing to help calm themselves. Using a special item of comfort to help them calm down on their own.

Going to a quiet area or cozy corner. Recognize feelings in other children or adults and comfort them.

Find other ways to release big feelings.

Teachers need to also acknowledge and validate children’s emotions. “Acknowledge the emotions and empathize with the child, knowing that no emotion is too small to substantiate.” (Millacci, 2022).

2.Breathing exercises and yoga. Teach and model for children various breathing exercises to calm their bodies.

These exercises can be belly breathing, balloon breathing, slow, deep breaths, smell the flower (breathe in) and then blow out a candle (breathe out).

Teach simple yoga poses by example or play limited videos that show yoga exercises that are age appropriate.

“Dr. Bhatt says sleep is vital to emotional regulation—and developing a consistent routine for bedtime helps your child process their emotions. Reading books at bedtime about emotions, too, can be helpful.” (Grothe, 2024).

Toddlerhood: Talk and teach their child about different emotions, a feelings chart can be used with simple pictures of emotions to teach the child about their feelings.

Reading books about emotions can help also.

Give your child a safe space to express the emotions they are learning by listening to them when they are trying to express themselves, do not brush their emotions off as just being over dramatic.

Parents can model how to handle feelings in different situations by modeling the skills they have for handling situations. “Parents who model emotional regulation skills can help kids develop their own. “Modeling emotional regulation as a parent can be helpful for children to know what to do in stressful situations and allows them to better use their skills in distressing moments,” Dr. Bhatt says.” (Grothe, 2024).

Millacci, Tiffany Sauber. (2022). 16 Activities to Stimulate Emotional Development in Children.

Positive Psychology.com. Retrieved from: https://positivepsychology.com/emotional-

development-activities/

Morin, Amanda, (nd). Social and emotional skills at different ages. Understood website. Retrieved from: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/social-and-emotional-skills-what-to-

expect-at-different-ages