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 Building
Concepts
How do I feel?
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Children experience many different
emotions during the day. You can help your baby express
feelings by using concept words when your baby is experiencing
the feeling. No matter how wonderful we are as parents,
babies get angry, sad, and frustrated. Labeling feelings can give your baby
a way to express them with fewer tantrums and tears. The
examples below will give you some ideas of do's and don't's
in describing feelings.
| Instead of: |
Try this: |
Baby pinches a finger in the high chair
tray.
Parent: "Don't cry. It will be okay." |
Baby pinches a finger in the high chair
tray.
Parent: "Ow! That hurts. You are sad.
Let Mommy kiss it." |
Baby is frustrated with a toy.
Parent: "Stop throwing. Here, "I'll
do it." |
Baby is frustrated with a toy.
Parent: "You are mad. That is hard. Can
Dad help?" |
Baby is excited to see Grandma.
Parent: "There is Grandma." |
Baby is excited to see Grandma.
Parent: "Oh boy! Grandma! You are so
excited." |
In the examples on the left, the parent
misses an opportunity to label the baby's feeling. When
parents help their babies label their feelings, it shows
that parents are really listening and understanding. In
the examples on the right, the parents gave the feeling
a word. They also talked about why the baby had this feeling.
This supports concept development.
 
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