Please Welcome Jodi Desautels As She Talks About “Emotional Literacy”

By Lisaorchard @lisaorchard1

Hello everyone!  My name is Jodi Desautels and I will be guest blogging today.  Not long ago, Lisa guest posted for me.  She did so well, I posted it on two different blogs.  I hope you caught it on at least one of my blogs:  DUO Education Learning Blog and Little Chatter Box.  If not feel free to check them out.  Anyway, now it is my turn to post.  I hope you enjoy it.

Today, I’d like to discuss something I find very important:  teaching children to identify and express their feelings.  The term for this is “Emotional Literacy.”

I believe that Emotional Literacy is one of the most overlooked skills in childhood.

Some schools have guidance programs that teach children to identify and express feelings, but not all schools.  Also, according to Parenting.com, emotional literacy can be taught as early as 18 months.  This will cut down on behavior issues that form, because children do not have the skills to identify and express what they are feeling.  (Think, “fewer temper tantrums.”)

As a matter of fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state that the ability of children being able to express feelings is linked to a decrease in child abuse and neglect.  Parents, especially at risk parents, are less likely to lose patience and ignore or strike out at a child who is behaving well.

Teaching a child about feelings and how to express those feelings may even decrease the chance that he or she may get abused, bullied, or violated as an adult as well.  People, who are assertive, know their feelings, speak their mind, and have high self-esteem make poor targets for violence.

With that in mind, the question becomes, “how do you teach your child to identify and express his or her feelings clearly?”  Parenting.com has some strategies that parents may use to teach Emotional Literacy.   Options may include discussing feelings and emotions with a child, practice making faces to fit various emotions, play games which require stating feelings or showing emotions, and reading books that depict various feelings.

   I wrote a wonderful concept book titled, “Clarinda Cloud,” for ages 2-6 that targets both feelings and colors.  This is a fabulous book to use while discussing feelings with your child.  Clarinda Cloud expresses various feelings with a face to match the emotion.  While reading and looking through the book, you could say things such as, “here is Clarinda Cloud’s shy face, what does your shy face look like?  Can you show me your shy face?”

“Clarinda Cloud” can be found at:

*Barnesandnoble.com

*Amazon.com

*Kindle

Lisa, I would like to thank you for this wonderful opportunity to guest post and also to tell everyone about one of my children’s book, “Clarinda Cloud.”  I hope you and your readers will come visit me some time at DUO Education and SmallReads Book Corner.  I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.  Also, feel free to email me at duo_dynamics@yahoo.com.

Thanks for being here today Jodi and sharing your thoughts with us on Emotional Literacy! Your book sounds like an excellent way for parents to introduce this to their children!