What to do
- Explain to your child that they have to think how you’re feeling.
- Talk them through a simple, familiar event, for example “I had a delicious crunchy apple, and was about to take a bite, then it fell in the mud and I couldn’t eat it.”
- Show them the emotion you would feel in that situation with your tone of voice, body and facial expression.
- Give your child time to tell you what they think you’re feeling.
- Chat about their answer.
- You could ask them, “Why do you think I felt sad?” “Might I have felt something else?”
Good to know
If you’re feeling creative you could draw simple pictures of some situations and turn them over, then talk about how you’d feel if that happened.