
Helping Kids Understand Feelings
Showing your kids how to express themselves, handle emotions and get along with others.
There’s a lot to learn when you’re a kid. Patience and problem solving. Paying attention. How to make decisions and understand emotions. How to be kind. Children learn lessons like these every day by watching and listening to those around them.
When you help your children learn to understand feelings, you help them feel safe and valued and help them develop the confidence to solve their own problems. You may even spend less time managing misbehavior. Kids who learn how to express and manage their feelings often do better in school and have stronger friendships. Children’s social and emotional competence can also go on to shape how they treat others and deal with challenges as adults.
Hear from parents


Helping kids understand their feelings gives them the skills to communicate with the world around them and really feel more valued and heard.”
-Javin
Helping Kids Understand Feelings can look like…

Teaching kids to share

Encouraging kids to solve problems

Listening when kids express their emotions
Ask Yourself…
There are no right answers. Thinking about these questions can help you understand your family’s strengths.



Helping Kids Understand Feelings happens little by little
Every day is full of teachable moments. Help your child learn how to express and manage their feelings with lots of positive attention. Children learn best by watching what people around them say and do, so model the behaviors you’d like to see in your child.
The 5 Strengths are also called Protective Factors.

Helping Kids Understand Feelings

Social & Emotional Competence of Children
Share Your Strength
Tell us about the strategies you used to grow stronger during a challenging time for your family. By sharing, you might help another family get ideas. And together we can all become stronger. By submitting a story, all or part of it may be posted on this website. See Policy on Further Disclosure or Use.
The Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board may use or share my story or any part of it for public awareness and educational purposes. I also understand the Prevention Board may edit my story for length or content. By granting my permission, I release the Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, its employees, directors, and agents from any liability related to the disclosure or use of my story or any part of my story.


Share Your Strength
Tell us about the strategies you used to grow stronger during a challenging time for your family. By sharing, you might help another family get ideas. And together we can all become stronger. By submitting a story, all or part of it may be posted on this website. See Policy on Further Disclosure or Use.
The Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board may use or share my story or any part of it for public awareness and educational purposes. I also understand the Prevention Board may edit my story for length or content. By granting my permission, I release the Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, its employees, directors, and agents from any liability related to the disclosure or use of my story or any part of my story.
Thank you!
Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your family. We are unable to publish every story and stories will not appear immediately after being submitted. Stories may be edited for length and context. Also, stories may be incorporated into other Prevention Board resources and materials. Questions? Learn more about our Policy on Further Disclosure or Use.
The Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board may use or share my story or any part of it for public awareness and educational purposes. I also understand the Prevention Board may edit my story for length or content. By granting my permission, I release the Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, its employees, directors, and agents from any liability related to the disclosure or use of my story or any part of my story.
