How to Talk to Your Preschooler About 'Big Feelings'

A preschooler's brain is like a house under construction. The upstairs (logic/reasoning) isn't fully connected to the downstairs (emotion). When they melt down, the stairs are gone.

Name It to Tame It

Dr. Dan Siegel coining this phrase changed parenting forever. When a child can put a name to the chaos inside, the chaos shrinks.

• Instead of: "Stop crying, it's just a broken cracker."
• Try: "You feel disappointed. You really wanted that cracker to be whole."

Using Stories as Practice

In our story "Leo's Lost Roar," Leo feels frustrated. Listening to Leo navigate that frustration while your child is calm builds the neural pathways they need when they are upset.