Helping Kids Name Their Feelings with 'Inside Out'
Feelings can be a tricky concept for young children, but tapping into the inspiration from a popular movie can offer a tangible way for kids to visualize their emotions.
Sarah and Jace, caregivers whose family has received services at The Children’s Place, recently shared a resource their family created based on the movie Inside Out.
Inspired by the emotions characters in Inside Out, Jace used his graphic design skills to create a “control panel” for their 5-year-old boys to visualize emotions and communicate what they are feeling.
The idea stemmed from a concept Sarah had discussed with one of our therapists, and she says it was a true collaboration between her family and The Children’s Place.
“The concept of emotions is so big, but the concept of having a button that’s being pushed—a button like sadness, anger, or joy—that idea was so much easier to wrap their minds around,” Sarah said.
The kids might use words like, “Anger is pushing my buttons right now,” to help express feeling angry. Then the caregivers could answer with, “Thank you for telling us. This feels really big. Who should we invite in to help us?”
Sarah said that she had a “proud mom moment” when one of her sons told her, “I’m going to tell Anger that they can go hang out in their room for a bit, and Joy is going to take over.”
The family keeps the Inside Out characters on the wall in their boys’ bedroom. When they are having tough mornings, they might look at the control panel and ask, “Who’s going to be at the control panel this morning?” When Anxiety slips in, they acknowledge that while they knew this might happen, they also know that they can talk through it together and ask, “Who will come into the control panel next?” and invite in another feeling like Joy or Fun.
“It’s hard for adults to talk about their emotions, but it’s especially tough for kids when they can’t conceptualize things like anger or fear,” Sarah said. “Pointing at a character feels easier than saying ‘I feel mad’ or ‘I feel sad.’”
Sarah says that this idea came from all that her family has learned at The Children’s Place about identifying emotions and communicating about them.
Sarah adds, “We wouldn’t be where we are without The Children’s Place! Everyone we’ve met at The Children’s Place has changed our lives for the better in some way.”
