Kids have feelings (so many feelings).
Teaching Children Emotions
As parents, sometimes teaching children about emotions — and how to handle them in a godly way — can be tough. In fact, as a mom of four kids, I think the majority of my active parenting has been spent helping my kids with their feelings.
King David (of biblical fame) also had a lot of emotions to work through. He did live through a lot–betrayal, the consequences of his own sin, more betrayal, sadness, anxiety, frustration, more betrayal, a deep love for God, and a whole lot of joy.
We can help kids with their feelings by pointing them to the psalms, and specifically to some of the psalms of David that pour out deep emotions to God.
Teaching children emotions are meant to be given to the Lord in prayer works best through the example of biblical heroes.
Children and Emotions Books for Christian Parents
Christina Fox, author of Idols of a Mother’s Heart, has written three books to help kids bring feelings to God.
1) Tell God How You Feel: Helping Kids with Hard Emotions
Tell God How You Feel: Helping Kids with Hard Emotions is an excellent 84-page picture book aimed at 4-9 year olds.
Five chapters tell the story of two siblings, Jack and Mia, who brave fear, sadness, rejection, loneliness, and gratitude as their parents take them to the Psalms and then to God in prayer.
The chapters are:
- A Scary Thunderstorm
- A Friend Moves Away
- A Friend’s Rejection
- Feeling Lonely
- Thankful for a Good Grade
I love that in each chapter of the book, Jack and Mia’s parents take them to a psalm, read it with them, and teach them about bringing their emotions to God.
The book is an excellent tool to aid Christian parents in teaching kids to pray when confronted with emotions, whether they are good or bad feelings.
Four of the stories directly relate in some way to school. I know that for many homeschool parents, school out-of-the-house in books is a big deal, so I mention this. Our kids read such a wide variety of books from different cultures and time periods, seeing kids go to school didn’t bother them. They were able to substitute their own experiences–like going to Bible memory club–for school and still empathize with fictional characters.
Things I really like about Tell God How You Feel:
- This is a really well written book with great lessons that don’t feel moralistic or preachy.
- You essentially get five stories in one book, each story focusing on a different emotion.
- Each chapter has questions for discussion that a parent can take their child through.
- The focus of Tell God How You Feel is very biblical.
- Characters illustrated in the book are multi-ethnic and there is a girl in a wheelchair. I feel this has been largely missing from children’s literature, and I’m always happy to see it.
(My siblings are multi-ethnic, and my sister spent her life in a wheelchair, so I’ve been looking for these things for a while–though there have been anomalies, I’m happy to see this becoming more common.) - The illustrations are really nice.
- The book doesn’t downplay emotions children have. Rather it directs children to deal with feelings in a biblical way.
2) God Hears Your Heart: Helping Kids Pray about Hard Emotions
“God Hears Your Heart continues the story of Mia and Josh, begun in Tell God How You Feel. Mia and Josh are typical kids, dealing with hard and difficult emotions all kids feel: anger, disappointment, guilt, and failure. In God Hears Your Heart, they learn that God wants them to tell Him about all their feelings. They learn that He wants them to pray to Him and tell Him about how angry they feel when someone says something mean or how disappointed they feel when their plans get flipped upside down or how they feel when they fail at something. Mia and Josh learn just how much God loves and cares for them. ”
3) The Great Big Sad: Finding Comfort in Grief and Loss
“We all know that loss is the “great big sad” of life. Grief is a journey we all take in life. How do parents and caregivers help children navigate grief? The Great Big Sad follows familiar siblings Josh and Mia (from Tell God How You Feel and God Hears Your Heart) as they face the death of their beloved grandmother. It is a discipleship tool for parents and caregivers in helping children learn that people grieve in different ways, how to talk about grief, ways to honor and remember a loved one, and how Jesus knows and understands their tears. ”
The chapters are:
- Josh and Mia Hear Sad News
- Mia Learns She’s Not Alone
- Jesus Grieved Too
- Josh Learns it’s Okay to Be Sad
- Saying Goodbye
Grab your FREE Bible Study Tool Kit–over 130 pages of Bible resources for your family!
Purchase Tell God How You Feel, God Hears Your Heart, and The Great Big Sad
Christina Fox’s books give parents a wonderful way to help children bring their big feelings before our much bigger God.
Bible Resources for Your Kids
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Teach Kids About Life in the Womb
Wonderfully Made is a science- and Scripture-filled picture book for kids ages 5-11. The book is told from the perspective of a mother telling her child about his or her development in the womb week-by-week. In fact, Wonderfully Made is written to help parents meet the theological, scientific, and relational purposes of teaching kids about life in the womb.
Introduce young children to the wonder of God’s creation – the wonder and miracle of birth. From conception in the womb through the nine months within the mother’s womb Danika Cooley takes us on a journey of discovery… the discovery of life.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13
Learn more about Wonderfully Made over at the book page.
Head over to the Thinking Kids Press store for your free Wonderfully Made posters, Bible memory verse cards, and lapbook!
They’re a great companion to the book Wonderfully Made, and the perfect way to teach your kids about life in the womb!
Wonderfully Made: God’s Story of Life from Conception to Birth
Autographed from Danika Cooley: Wonderfully Made: God’s story of life from conception to birth
Amazon: Wonderfully Made: God’s story of life from conception to birth
Amazon UK: Wonderfully Made: God’s Story of Life from Conception to Birth
Christian Book: Wonderfully Made: God’s story of life from conception to birth
Or, buy a book bundle for your local pregnancy resource center or a young mom!
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