Your child's carved pumpkin could have more meaning that you'd think.
How good are your kids at identifying their feelings?
Do they know the difference between being scared and being excited?
Do they know how to look at your face and tell what kind of mood you’re in?
Being able to recognize and name feelings, both in themselves and in others, is a valuable social skill.
And Halloween season makes it easy to teach it to your toddlers and kids because of all the Jack-O-Lanterns and pumpkins around!
Family therapist, Wendy Young, says: As you are driving around your neighborhood, see how many feelings your kids can identify, based on the pumpkins’ faces: happy, sad, silly, scary, funny, goofy, mad, surprised, fearful, etc. You can make a bingo game of it, or a scratch off sheet, if you are feeling really adventurous!
I love this idea because not only does it help your kids practice their awareness of emotions and facial expressions…
But it will also help you connect with your kids about something they’re already interested in – all those pumpkins with faces on them!
A simple question like, “What kind of face is that pumpkin making?” can do the trick as you’re driving around or visiting friend’s houses.
In the full article from Wendy Young you’ll also find instructions for making Halloween pumpkin emotional faces out of brown paper lunch bags that don’t rot like regular pumpkins. A great craft project.
How do you like to teach your kids about emotions and feelings? Leave your ideas in the comments section…
Pumpkin Feelings Faces [Kidlutions]
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