What to say when the feeling is bigger than the words

You don’t need a plan or a script tonight, just a few honest sentences you can say out loud, right when it counts.

Say this tonight

This feeling is big, and I'm staying right here with you.
You don't have to use words yet. I can wait.
Feelings come like weather. This one will pass too.

Giving the feeling a shape, like weather, helps a small child ride it out instead of fighting it.

The story says the rest

In their story, the big feeling takes a shape your child can picture, like a color or a passing storm, so it feels less like something to be scared of.

By the last page, the feeling has passed the way weather does, and your child gets to see that they are always bigger than whatever they're feeling.

Create their story

Read more: Stories and Emotional Regulation: Giving Kids Language for Big Feelings

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