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It is a universal fact that all parents want their children to
be happy and healthy. It is also widely accepted that positive
emotional development will play a big role in how healthy and
happy your youngster really is. Encouraging your child's
emotional development will begin about the day that you bring
that precious bundle home from the hospital, and will not end
until the day you send him off to college. However, the toddler
years are a key time for encouraging your child's emotional
development so that he will grow into a happy and well-adjusted
child and adult.
The Importance of Identifying Emotions
Imagine that you are at a play date with your two-year-old, and
you see your child swipe a toy out of the hands of another tot.
That child screams in anger and hits your child in the arm with
his rounded fist. What just happened? Children at this stage are
beginning to learn how to communicate with one another, but the
vocabulary is not there to support their need for communication.
This leads to frustration, which results in a scenario like this
one much of the time. This is the perfect opportunity to begin
to teach your child how to identify emotions and needs and
communicate them effectively to the world around them, which
will encourage your child's emotional development.
This process will begin with a parent's example of stating needs
and feelings and acting upon them appropriately. You can explain
how you feel in various situations, so that your child can begin
to associate a particular word like "happy" or "angry" with
certain emotions that he is feeling. This will also teach your
child that feelings are legitimate, but the way we express them
needs to be acceptable. Your child can learn to say things like,
"When you took that toy from me, it made me angry." This gives
your child an outlet for his feelings without needing to resort
to a physical response like hitting, and will encourage your
child's emotional development in a positive way.
When your child does communicate a feeling to you, make sure
that you acknowledge his emotion as well. If you see him looking
angry, tell him that he seems angry, and ask him what is wrong.
Allow him to express his feelings and the cause of them to you,
and this process will become a healthy habit in his life. You
can take his communication to the next step by asking what he
thinks will make him feel better. This will teach your child
valuable problem solving skills that he will carry with him
throughout life.
Handling Tantrums and Building Independence
Another method of encouraging your child's emotional development
is through the method with which you decide to handle his
tantrums. It is generally not a matter of "if" tantrums will be
thrown but "when", and the "when" usually begins around the age
of eighteen months. Many experts agree that the best way to deal
with a tantrum is to ignore it until the child wears himself out
and regains self control. The height of a fit is not the time to
try to exercise parental authority, since this will generally
only serve to escalate the situation. Once your child is calm,
you can talk to him about the appropriate ways to voice his
displeasure or frustration over a particular issue.
Building independence is another way to encourage your child's
emotional development, since learning to complete tasks on his
own will build his self-esteem and confidence. A confident,
independent child is usually a happy one, so allow your child to
begin to dress himself and help with basic chores around the
house when he is ready and able to do so. Most children will
love to feel like they are a productive and contributing member
of the family, and these tasks will encourage your child's
emotional development in very positive ways.
About the Author:
Looking for more information on
parenting?
More4kids is an authoritative resource for
parenting.
Mr. Heath is a writer and the chief editor at More4kids.info, a
website devoted to parenting and families.
http://www.more4kids.info
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