As my children grow up, I’ve begun to see their personalities change. My five-year-old is becoming her own person, forming a personality of her own. She communicates differently than she has in the past. At times she’s more expressive, others she’s more reserved and picky who she shares her feelings with. However, my two-year-old is at the stage of still figuring out how to express her emotions and talk about her feelings. Most of my two-year-old’s big emotions are expressed through very emotional scenes. My biggest hope is that as they get older, they’ll learn to talk to me about their emotions and obstacles in life. My biggest fear is that they don’t communicate with me as teenagers. I know all I can do is practice with them now and keep the lines of communication open.
A place to get a good start to teaching great communication skills and a great relationship with your child is Kindermusik. In class they teach you how to talk with your child about emotions and how to better communicate with them. All year long the focus is on the relationship you share with one another. It’s 45 minutes focused on your child without any distractions and even a guide (your teacher) to show you how. It’s such a great investment. We play, sing, and even practice sign language together.
Kindermusik has a whole unit based on emotions in level 2 called “How do you feel?” In this unit they explore all realms of emotions from sad to happy. They learn to express emotions through body language, music and speech. This unit is what made me realize how important it is to work with my children on discussing their emotions at home, even as they grow up. I want them to feel comfortable expressing every emotion, even anger and know I’m there for support.
– Beverly Smith (MCF/Kindermusik mom)