Emotional Regulation

As children grow, their emotions and how they interact with the world around them becomes more complex. Learning to regulate emotions is a developmental process and the ability to manage emotions and behaviour in accordance with the demands of the situation is referred to emotional regulation. Skills for managing a wide range of emotions are important for children to learn as it helps to foster positive mental health and wellbeing throughout their lifespan. Research has shown that emotional-regulation skills are tied to a range of positive health outcomes, including resilience to stress, increased happiness, and better overall well-being.

Learning emotional regulation skills takes time and practice. As an adult, you can help your child learn and develop their emotion regulation skills by asking your child how they are how feeling and encourage them to share any thoughts or feelings that they have. For young children, it may be helpful to draw their emotions or act them out. It is important to validate your child’s emotions and to avoid labelling any emotions as positive or negative.

Promoting a calm environment at home can assist children manage their own emotions by providing structure and predictability. Modelling and teaching how to slow down and calmly respond to situations rather than being impulsive is another way to help your child learn about emotional regulation. Encourage children to spend a little bit of time each day to in a calm and quiet space to reset and refocus. Introducing children to mindfulness activities including breathing techniques, such as belly breathing or rainbow breathing can also help to assist in regulating emotions. For further information, on emotional regulation, visit

https://beyou.edu.au/resources/fact-sheets/social-and-emotional-learning/self-regulation