Young children and teens experience many emotions and moods each day. Having feelings and experiencing emotions is a normal part of being human. Emotions are generally quick and last for up to 90 seconds before they dissipate if we acknowledge them, use a strategy such as breathing, or simply notice the emotion, accept it, and then move on. It is when we hold onto our emotions and they grow inside us that they can turn into a mood, which lasts for much longer.
The movie Inside Out is a great depiction of the basic emotions of happiness, anger, sadness, and disgust. The main character, Riley, goes through many emotions as she navigates moving cities and schools. Brain scientists have been focusing on understanding how emotions affect our brain and our well-being, and the popular term associated with these studies is emotional intelligence.
Mood tracking encourages emotional intelligence by giving our kids or teens an easy-to-use tool to create self-awareness. Self-awareness is the first step in supporting kids to understand their emotions. It is also extremely useful in helping us understand and track the lead-up to anxiety attacks, overwhelm, or meltdowns. If emotions are held onto for too long and turn into a longer-lasting mood, then our kids will struggle even more to use proactive strategies for moving on.
Using a tool such as a mood tracker can help kids become more aware of their emotions, and as their self-awareness grows, it gives them the opportunity to use calming or mood-altering strategies to help them deal with their emotions in a healthier way. It also gives us parents valuable insight into any patterns that may be occurring, which are affecting their feelings and moods. Tiredness plays a big role, as do hunger and social overwhelm. I have created a mood tracker that your older children can fill in themselves by drawing emojis on the sheet and noting the time and what happened, or alternatively, you can fill this in to help support your child.
I have had many clients use tracking to gain an understanding of what occurs prior to a meltdown and the patterns that lead to overwhelm. When we have this valuable information, it allows us to begin making accommodations or adjustments and to move forward with positivity rather than in a reactive way.
Often, children with neurodiversity can find it challenging to identify their emotions, read body language, tone of voice, or notice how others are feeling. If this is something your child needs support with, your calm role modeling, plus the use of trackers, music, colors, or books, is a great way of increasing emotional awareness.
Other ways of mood tracking you could try are:
Using music to identify emotions: Create a playlist of happy, sad, angry, and worried music, and your child could use this to help them identify which one sounds like how they feel.
A color mood tracker: Another way to build awareness of emotions is by associating different colors with different feelings.
Read-aloud books: Watch The Color Monster: Kids books read aloud by Books with Blue together, a book about identifying emotions.
Books on emotions: How Do I Feel is a wonderful resource for identifying both positive and negative emotions.
Mood tracking is a powerful tool for helping children and teens develop emotional intelligence. By providing a structured way to recognize and understand their emotions, mood tracking fosters self-awareness and equips children with the skills to manage their feelings in healthy ways. It also offers parents valuable insights into the factors influencing their children's moods, enabling proactive support. As emotional intelligence grows, children become better equipped to handle life's challenges with resilience and positivity. Integrating mood tracking into your family's routine can create a supportive environment where emotions are understood, accepted, and effectively managed.
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