Help Kids Name Emotions for Emotional Growth

Big Feelings Little Kids: How to help your child name their emotions

Children often feel things deeply before they can express them clearly. If your child screams, cries, or shuts down during stressful moments, they're not being difficult — they're overwhelmed. Helping your child learn to name their emotions is one of the most powerful steps you can take to support their emotional growth.

Why naming emotions matters?

When kids can name what they feel, they start to make sense of their inner world. According to brain science, this is called “name it to tame it” — labeling an emotion helps reduce its intensity and activates the thinking part of the brain.

What makes naming emotions hard for kids?

- Limited vocabulary: Young kids may only know 'happy', 'sad', or 'mad'
- Overwhelmed nervous system: Meltdowns override verbal expression
- Lack of modeling: If emotions aren’t talked about at home, kids don’t learn how to label them

How to help your child name their feelings

1. Use Emotion Words daily

Narrate what you see and feel: “You look frustrated that your block tower fell. That’s okay.”
The more your child hears these words, the more natural they become.

2. Introduce a Feelings Chart

Visuals help kids connect expressions to labels. Use a simple chart with faces showing basic emotions like happy, sad, angry, scared, and excited.

3. Read books that explore feelings

Stories are a safe way for children to see emotions play out. Pause during the book and ask: “How do you think this character feels?”

4. Play 'Name that emotion' game

Make silly faces or act out emotions and let your child guess them. Then switch roles. It’s a fun and interactive way to practice emotional literacy.

5. Stay calm during meltdowns

During big emotional moments, your calm presence helps regulate your child’s brain. Label what they might be feeling gently, without pressure.

Free Resource: Feelings Faces Cards

Download our free Happy Quokka Feelings Faces Cards to give your child a visual way to identify and talk about their emotions.

Grab it here: Download

Final Thought

Your child doesn’t need to “get over” their emotions — they need to understand them. By helping your little one name their feelings, you give them tools that support connection, resilience, and self-awareness for life.