Parents can help their children learn how to regulate their emotions by;

• Creating a caring environment - Instead of telling your child “no”, tell them why they can’t; for example “We can eat a cookie after we eat spaghetti” or “It’s not safe to run across the road because the cars make it dangerous”.

• Teaching emotional literacy - Help your child learn how to identify their emotions by asking such questions as, “What makes you feel angry” or “I see your hurt because you fell down and bumped your knee”.

• Social understanding - By teaching your child the difference between accidental aggression and intentional aggression, you will teach them how to act in social situations. For example, if your daughter Sara was playing with Ryan, and Sara slipped and fell on Ryan’s arm, you could explain to both children that it was an accident, and she didn’t mean to hurt him. “Sara, when you fell, you hurt Ryan’s arm, lets help him up” and you could say to Ryan “It was an accident, I see you are upset”. Opposed to, if Sara got frustrated and hit Ryan for playing with a toy, you would explain to her that this is not an acceptable behavior and she needs to share. “Sara, it is not nice to jump on someone's arm, we should give him some ice”. Identifying this difference to your child will help them learn how to identify their own and others emotions in social situations.

• Support your child - You can support your child by using role-playing games to help them learn about different emotions. Some role playing games include playing house, playing in a toy kitchen and playing with a toy grocery store. You can also teach your child techniques to stay calm such as taking a deep breath when frustrated. Another way to support your child is reading stories together. It is recommended to read any story book with a positive message such as Franklin or Caillou.

• Maintaining relationships - As your child makes friends and encounters social problems, you can help them to sort through them by identifying the problem and discussing ways to solve it. Even basic social skills such as using manners and taking turns can help your child to regulate their emotions. Playing with other children and learning how to identify the other child's emotions can help your child build friendships as well as improve their emotional regulation. See Tucker Turtle Program for more information.