One, two, three, four.

- Four.

- Four, again.

You have magic powers to get your chores done.

That's the best thing that would happen to me in all my life.

You know, I'm making sure those dishes are clean.

I’m not touching ’em.

I’m not smelling ’em.

I'll maybe turn on the faucet, but I am no, no thank you, please Welcome to the second episode of More Childhood Please.™” A show by kids, for kids.

It's part of Akron Children's mission to help you make the most of your time as a kid with fun ideas, challenges, and ways to spend time with friends and family.

I'm Rhys.

And I'm Lily.

On our first episode, we tackled the good and not so good parts of screentime.

And in this episode, we're going into a deep topic – emotions and feelings.

Emotions and feelings are part of daily life.

from when we wake up until we go to bed.

And they include the ups, the downs and the in-betweens.

We're going to explore the different feelings we go through how we express them, and how we see others’ emotions.

And we'll learn some tips for managing the more difficult feelings we experience.

Speaking of feelings and emotion how are you feeling, Lily?

Well, Rhys, I'm feeling excited because we're doing the TV show today.

Sounds like we're getting a call Let's see who it is.

Hi, Rhys and Lily, I'm Doctor Mapes I'm a pediatric psychologist at Akron Children's, and I help kids learn about their emotions.

And I know that kids experience a lot of different emotions.

So, to highlight how many there are I have a challenge for you.

It's called “Rapid-Fire Feelings” I want you to work together and write down as many emotions as you can think of.

You only get 25 seconds to do it You can write them down on the large pad of paper.

Are you up for it?

-Yes.

And to all of you watching, feel free to do this challenge with us.

And if you don't have paper and a pen.

you can just call out the emotions you know.

OK. Ready?

Thank you.

And go.

Spooked.

Happy.

Mad.

Sad.

Angry.

Frustrated.

Uh.

I wrote angry.

There we go.

Excited.

Stressed.

Scared.

Upset.

Wait, that's not.

Irritated.

Oh, that's a good one.

No.

That was 25 seconds.

That was so short.

Wow.

OK, let's read our list.

OK, so I had “happy,” “mad,” “sad,” “frustrated,” “excited,” “scared” and “irritated.” I got “spooked,” “angry” and “stressed.” Nice job, Rhys and Lily.

Now, I have a list of emotions for you to compare yours against It's on the pillar next to you.

Go ahead and open it And thank you for doing this challenge.

Wow.

Wow.

Okay.

You ready?

A really long list of feelings.

Oh my gosh.

Oh, wow.

Oh.

Oh!

Oh my goodness.

OK.

Hold on.

Oh, wow.

We should read it.

OK. OK.

Angry.

Frustrated.

Irritated.

Annoyed.

Enraged.

Furious.

Hateful.

Hostile.

Come on.

Confused.

Doubtful.

Uncertain.

Indecisive.

Hesitant.

Baffled.

Perplexed.

Chaotic.

Proud.

Happy.

Pleased.

Anxious.

Overwhelmed.

Vulnerable.

Embarrassed.

Wow.

That is a long list of feelings.

Let’s show them.

Imagine you're just walking around like, I don't know how I'm feeling today then randomly, you pull this out Pretend you're like, “I don’t know how I'm feeling today” I don't know how I'm feeling today Look up here.

Let's see.

Right there.

I didn’t even know that that was that many emotions.

There's several that I had never heard of, and some were really simular Yeah.

Now I wonder if I ever mistake one feeling for another, like I'm saying, “I'm angry,” but maybe I'm just irritated.

Right, identifying an emotion could be tough.

Well, we're going to see how good others are at identifying emotions with our next segment.

In it, we'll see kids acting out different emotions as others try to guess which emotion they see.

Ready to watch?

Let's do it.

This is “Acting Out Emotions.” Hi, everyone!

My name is Doctor Love and I'm a pediatric psychologist with Akron Children’s.

We're at the Magical Theatre Company in Barberton, Ohio, and this is “Acting Out Emotions” We have young actors who are going to act out different emotions and scenarios on stage.

Then our audience will guess which emotion they're acting out We're doing this segment to help kids with identifying emotions and show how we all might notice different emotions in situations So, actors, are you ready to get started?

Yeah!

Mom, Dad!

Guess what?

I got an A-plus on my math test.

Oh, we're so proud of you, honey That's great.

Awesome.

But you’re on your phones, you’re barely even paying attention to me.

Oh, well, we're working right now Yeah, we're really busy.

- Are you sure about that?

I worked really, really hard.

We know, and we're really proud of you I was up so late.

- Yeah, but we're really busy.

No you're not.

You don't even care.

Alright.

Does anyone have any guesses on what emotion we just saw there?

Angry and ignoring.

Oh, angry and ignoring.

That's a great guess.

Because the kid was getting angry because the parents were on the phone and the parents were, like, ignoring her good news.

Yeah, they weren't paying attention.

Right?

Any other guesses that anybody has?

Go ahead.

- Frustration.

Oh, what made you think frustration.

Because they weren't really paying attention to her when she had exciting news.

Yeah, they weren’t paying attention, right?

Any other guesses that anyone has?

Go ahead.

Like, the little girl was upset I'd be upset if my parents ignored me.

Yeah, absolutely.

I think you all came up with such good ideas.

And I think it's so interesting how we can all look at that situation and come up with different emotions So we had one emotion in mind for this scene, and it was hurt.

But you all had such great guess too And I think all the options that you came up with make a lot of sense.

Is anyone surprised that we picked hurt for that one Yeah.

Did that one make sense?

- Yeah.

Alright.

We're ready for our next emotion The last 10 questions on that math test were so weird.

Oh, hey guys.

- Hi.

Oh no.

- Haha Wow, you really dropped all of your stuff.

Yeah.

Alright, does anyone have any guesses for that one?

You in the back there.

Nervous.

- Nervous.

That's a really, really good guess.

What made you say nervous?

The way he was stuttering and talking Yeah, like his stuttering and the way he was talking.

What were you thinking?

I was thinking embarrassed because he fell in front of two kids and they was laughing at him.

Yeah, they were laughing at him.

That's a great guess, embarrassed And you in the back there.

- Upset Oh, why’d you pick upset?

Because those kids ran into him and they just laughed at him when they walked away.

Yeah.

What are some things that you think that the other kids who started laughing maybe could have done differently when he dropped his books?

What are you thinking?

They could have, like, helped him pick them up or say sorry.

Yeah.

Being helpful, right?

That could have made a really big difference.

So the emotion that we had in mind was embarrassed.

So great job with that guess there But, again we can all see different emotions in the same situation And you all had really good guesses Are we ready to see another emotion?

- Yeah!

- Alright!

Allison.

I’ve got some bad news.

You didn’t make the cut.

- Are you kidding?

I’m sorry.

There was a lot of competition at your position.

This year just wasn't your year.

I’m sorry - I worked so hard.

I know, I saw that out there.

I saw your play, but it just wasn’t enough.

And all of my friends made it, but I'm gonna be alone?

Yep, that's why I wanted to talk to you.

I know how hard it is to not make a team but without your friends, I bet it could be hard.

I’m sorry.

OK.

Thanks.

Alright, what are some guesses for the emotions.

You in the back there?

- Disappointed That is such a good guess.

What made you pick disappointed?

Because she didn’t make the cut?

Yeah, she didn’t make the cut.

And what did you think?

I'd definitely say, the coach probably felt bad for, for her not making the cut.

Yeah, some of us are noticing, you know what the player might be feeling Some are noticing what the coach might be feeling.

What's a guess that you have?

Disappointed, too, because, like she tried really hard for it and just didn't make it.

Yeah.

What were you thinking?

Lonely, because she was the only of her friends that didn't make the team.

And, confused because she worked really hard.

Yeah, absolutely.

She might be feeling a whole bunch of different emotions.

And you all came up with such good guesses that make a ton of sense.

The emotion we're looking for is disappointed from this one.

But you all had really good options, too.

Let's see another emotion.

I can't believe the ELA test made us read about those, the horrible things happening to those trees.

Hey guys.

- I know, why are so many- - It’s ridiculous I know, it's getting to a point where, like.

Forest fires?

I know.

Hey, come sit with us.

Yeah, you should come sit with us.

Join us.

Yeah.

Thank you guys so much.

No problem.

- Our pleasure, yeah.

Did you enjoy the ELA test?

- No - I don't think anybody did.

Yeah.

Nobody did.

- It was about forest fires and chopping down all the trees.

Yeah, why would they talk about forest fires.

- Ridiculous.

Exactly.

- They act like it’s hopeless.

- Guys, look We already got to go.

Oh.

Wow, ridiculous.

Let's go.

That was quick.

Yeah.

Well.

Come on.

Oh, wait up.

Alright, what guesses do we have from that scene.

Go ahead.

He was happy because he was, like, being accepted.

And they were being like, kind to him, like, inviting them to their table and stuff.

Yeah.

So they were being really kind.

And he looked really happy.

What else did we notice here?

You in the back there.

- Confused.

- Confused.

What made you think confused?

Him walking through like and then they felt bad.

So they told him to sit down.

And once they left he was also still confused.

Yeah, so you noticed he felt confused there.

What were you thinking?

I was thinking of kind.

I like that.

What made you think kind?

They said come sit with us.

Yeah.

So was really kind of them, right?

Like, how would you all feel if someone was being kind to you and offering that seat?

What's a guess that you have?

Grateful.

Oh, grateful.

That's a really good one.

What made you say grateful?

Because he was, like, grateful that they, like, invited him to sit with him and clearly, that hasn't happened to him that many times before.

Yeah.

So grateful they get that seat.

What were you thinking?

I would feel seen just because as someone who sits alone you probably feel like you're unnoticed But then when someone asks you to come sit with you, you kind of feel like you have value, and purpose Feeling seen.

I like that.

You all have such good guesses here The emotion that we were thinking here was glad, but you all had such great ones that totally make sense.

So we can all kind of see a situation and come up with different emotions.

So let's see our next emotion.

Sweetie, we need to talk.

Turn the tablet off.

Okay.

What?

We just got an email from your teacher And it says that you've been misbehaving in class and talking And she's asked you multiple times to stop.

I didn't.

- Yes you did.

And because of your actions, we are taking your screen time away this weekend.

No, I don't want to.

Hand over the tablet.

No.

Listen to me and hand over tablet.

Fine.

Thank you.

Alright, does anyone have any guesses for that last scene?

Go ahead.

Like, a little, like, you understand because if you, um, if you act bad, there are consequences.

Yeah.

So you could kind of see there was a consequence going on Any other guesses?

I saw your hand right away.

My emotion thinking is telling me angry.

That's such a good guess.

What did you think?

I’d say calm because, like, the parents were, like, calm in the entire situation.

they weren't, like, yelling.

They weren’t being like, “If you give me this like, right now, like, you’re going to be in more trouble But yeah, I think it's, I think be, like, calm for the parents.

Yeah.

I like how you’re noticing, like we said, different emotions in the different people in the scene.

And what did you think?

Scared, because when the parents they had to talk to her, she was a little scared because she thought it would be bad.

Yeah.

The emotion that we had for this skit was anger.

So you got it, right there.

- Ohhh.

Are we ready to see another emotion.

You guys wanna go see a movie Sunday?

Sure.

What time?

I think it's at 9:00.

I'm free.

Um.

But we have a math test on Monday So?

We have to study.

You can study.

We're going to see a movie.

With or without you.

I thought we were supposed to go together.

To study?

No, to the movie.

Oh, so are you going or not?

I guess not.

Okay, she's not going.

Let's go.

Alright, do we have any guesses for some emotions?

What are you thinking?

- Like, left out Oh, feeling left out.

That's a great, great guess.

Anyone else?

What are you thinking?

Disappointed.

Like, her friends were disappointed that she couldn't come.

Yeah, noticing the friends might have been disappointed that she can't make it.

What are you thinking?

- Lonely.

But a little bit proud of yourself because if you have to study, then you have to - Yeah.

Emotions are complicated sometimes, right?

We might feel two things at the same time.

That's a really good point.

What are you thinking?

Like, upset because her friends wouldn’t, like, take the math test seriously Yeah, so she might have been feeling upset What were your thoughts?

- Um.

Maybe she's a little confused as to why her friends aren’t going to study rather than going out.

Yeah, feeling a little bit confused The idea of the emotion we came up with was jealousy.

But you all had such good options too, that make a lot of sense.

Are you guys ready to see another emotion?

Yeah.

Alright.

So, what's with the book?

Why are you so involved?

Yeah?

It's for the test.

What test?

The test in math.

You didn't know?

We have a test?

There’s a test?

You didn't know?

When did we get a test?

Oh, you mean the algebra test?

- Yes!

Oh it’s easy.

Yeah.

It’s no big deal.

You just find, like, x or whatever But what if we get an F?

We'll get kicked out of the debate team OK.

Calm down.

Yeah, it's no big deal.

It's just a test.

Yeah.

Oh, we'll study with you.

Yeah, sure.

Study, I'm looking it up on my phone.

Here.

Alright, any guesses for this one?

You in the back there?

- Nervous.

That's such a great guess.

What made you think nervous?

Because he was, focusing on the book because he wanted to get an A in the test.

Yeah.

Yeah, so it was really kind of looking at the book and noticing it.

What were you thinking?

Upset that his friends didn't really care about the test Yeah, absolutely.

What's your thought?

Surprised that his friends didn't even know And then they just remembered.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So thinking surprised.

- Surprised What were you thinking?

I was thinking anxiety because he was stressed that his friends didn't know about it Yeah, yeah.

And he was worried they might get an F Yeah.

I like how you mentioned anxiety, stress, worry, a lot of those different emotions.

Right?

Any other guesses?

You back there.

Confused and worried.

Yeah.

Confused and worried.

What made you think that?

His friends were, like, a little confused about it.

And, the kid that was with the book he was worried about the test an like, stressing all over it.

Yeah.

You all had such great answers here, again, doing such a great job, noticing lots of different emotions in the same situtation that make a lot of sense.

The emotion that we were looking is nervous.

And I heard that from some of you all.

But all the things you said today were great.

I think what we really learned from this activity is that we can notice a lot of different emotions in the same situation, right?

Emotions can be complicated.

Sometimes we might have even multiple emotions at the same time.

So you all did such a great job.

I want to give a thank you to all of our actors.

Let's give them another round of applause.

And thank you to you all for participating today.

You did such a great job.

Which one of those skits were your favorite?

My favorite was probably when the boy got bumped and he dropped all his things, very dramatically.

He flew.

Yeah, they went everywhere He deserves an award.

Yeah.

Which one was your favorite?

My favorite was probably when the girl got her tablet taken away She was like, “No, don't take my tablet” Please, it’s my only love.” So, we saw how some emotions and situations can look different to each person And it wasn't always easy to guess how someone was feeling.

There are a couple ways we share or understand emotions: words, tone of voice, facial expression and body language.

Could you guess someone's emotions using only one of those No, I cannot.

Well, we're going to find out in this next challenge.

This is “Guess the Emoji.” Emojis will appear on screen one at a time, and we'll try to the emotion of each emoji.

When we figure out one, we'll move on to the next emoji until we've done them all.

This is something you can do at home with us, too.

Ready?

Let's do it.

Excited.

Excited.

Joyful.

Joyful.

Happy.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Angry.

Mad.

Frustrated.

Frustrated.

Yeah Surprised.

Flabbergasted.

Baffled.

Bewildered.

Yeah.

What else?

You know, concerned.

Like, that that's concerning.

Confused, maybe.

Sure.

Melting?

Smiling while melting?

I'm just like.

What?

Sad.

Sad.

Upset.

Upset.

Nervous.

Nervous.

Jostled.

Yeah.

Oh, happy.

Tears of joy.

Joyful.

Yeah.

Joyful.

Unhappy.

Because, you know, it's just lik like, oh, like.

Oh, yeah, I'm happy, but I'm really not happy.

Yeah.

Wacky.

Silly.

Silly.

Wacky.

Wild.

Wild.

That's good.

Speechless.

Speechless.

Dumbfounded.

Lost my – lost my train of thought Excited.

Amazing.

Amazed.

Amazed.

Oh, my gosh, you're so amazing.

You’re giving me hearts.

Wow.

Some of those were not clear.

For sure.

Which one was the hardest for you?

The melting one.

Oh my gosh, I totally agree.

The melting one.

Why?

Like what does that emoji mean?

Do you think emojis are a good way to share an emotion?

I think it depends on the emoji and whether it was clear in the way that the person who sent it used it.

And I think if it's unclear, you should just ask the sender.

Ooh, that's a good idea.

Now, we have another challenge coming up But first, let's take a quick br for a “Moment of Childhood.” I went golfing yesterday.

How was it?

Good.

- What did you do?

I can't remember.

Did you use a golf ball?

Yeah, you use a golf ball.

- And a golf club?

And golf and a golf club.

And what do you do?

- Um.

You, you golf with it.

- Do your silliest face.

Wiggle that tongue around.

In our last segment, we saw how emojis are not enough to share our emotions Now, we have another challenge to complete.

We have a phone and we're going to be included on some texts between other people They won't have any emojis, pictures or videos.

That's right, they're just words and we have to guess what emotions the people are feeling Do you think this challenge will be easier than the emoji challenge?

I do think it will be because we the words to look off of, and I I don't know for sure, but let's find out.

Let's read our first message.

“I forgot to invite you to Amani's party yesterday.” It's from Charlotte, now Avery.

“It's fine” No punctuation.

Oh.

“I'm really hoping you'll still come over tomorrow.

OK. “Hello?” Oh, hello?

Oh.

Got left on read.

I definitely think Avery is feeling mad because she's like, OK, well, you forgot to invite me, but now the party's over and I missed it and I wanted to go.

And so I feel like she's like, she's like, “It's fine,” and then she didn't respond.

She just said, “I'm really” – and then Charlotte said, “I'm hoping you can still come over tomorrow.” Like, girl, how do you not invite me to a party but you want me to come over to your house.

Yeah, and then she's like.

And then she's like, “I'm still you'll come over tomorrow.” And she's like, “Hello?” Like I definitely think, Avery's mad.

Yeah.

She's mad, upset.

She’s very upset Upset, frustrated.

All right, so what's the next one?

“You want to get tacos later?” Mmm.

“You want to get tacos later?” “I don't care,” they say.

Avery's mad still from getting left out from the party she's like, “I don't care if we go get tacos.” It could just be like “I don't care.” Just like, I feel like ‘cause it's hard to tell with a, without context But like in all caps, but like in all caps.

But you would abbreviate in all you'd say, like, “On my way,” like, “OMW.” Yeah, you would, so Like all caps.

So like maybe it's just like, “I don't care.” But also at the same time “I don't care.” Well what's the next one?

- OK. Next one.

“I made varsity.” Yay.

Congratulations I wonder what sport.

“Happy for you.” No punctuation.

That's like, that's like, “happy for you” “What about you?

Did you make it?” Oh.

Oh.

I guess she's kind of embarrassed I think Avery said, “happy for you,” no punctuation like, “happy for you.” I definitely think Avery didn't make varsity.

And she’s jealous.

Yeah.

And she's jealous or embarrassed Yeah.

Charlotte is just going, “hello?” Like she was like, “What about you?

Did you make it?” And then just she didn't respond No, just left her on read.

Like, “Hello?” Like, “Did you make it?” Lily?

Did you think it was easy or hard to understand the emotion behind each text?

I think it was a little bit of both.

because when Charlotte was texting we got punctuation from her and we could understand what she was saying.

Meanwhile, with Avery, we didn't get any punctuation, so we couldn't understand anything that she was saying.

Text messages don't include body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice.

That makes it easy to misread people's emotions.

Yeah, using more exclamation points or question marks can change the way I read them.

We're going to talk with experts about how to avoid those problems But first, we're going to explore how our feelings change.

Sometimes, strong emotions like anger feel like they'll never go away, but they do go away and feelings do change.

To show this, we asked three kids to record videos over a weekend sharing their feelings in the moment.

The goal is to see how much their emotions changed over time and a doctor will weigh in on what they see.

This is the “Feelings Log.” We're going to watch videos from three kids.

In them, the kids will talk about how they're feeling and we'll see their emotions mapped out over time.

They'll range from light to heavy Light emotions are like happy, excited, joyful.

Heavy emotions are ones that feel like angry, scared or sad.

While some heavy emotions can feel like they will never go away, we'll see how they change frequently.

Let's watch.

Hello, my name is Levi and I'm 10 years old.

Today is Friday and I'm feeling really fresh because guess what?

I just got my hair cut.

Right now, I'm excited because we’re about to watch a show about the planet and all about the solar system.

Right now, I'm frustrated because I have to clean my room.

Right now, I feel mad because I have to do and listen to what my parents say.

Right now, I feel hungry because lunch is ready and I was too busy playing.

I just got home from karate and I feel tired because we were doing self-defense moves we were running and doing laps and then we were like doing punching and then we were like doing punc and all the running stuff.

Right now, I’m feeling really and hungry because I just woke up and it's time for breakfast.

I just got home from the store and I'm feeling happy because I'm playing with my microscope.

I'm very frustrated because I have to do my homework Right now, I’m feeling happy because I'm playing with my dog and watching TV.

Levi did a great job labeling his feelings.

We saw how they change frequently over time and they didn't last that long.

It's very normal to have many different feelings.

Hi, I'm Ceci and I'm 10 years ol Today, I'm really excited because my school’s hosting a father daughter day dance and there's a hula hoop contest and raffle baskets.

And I've never won a raffle bask but I hope I do this year.

And I got this really awesome outfit for it, and I'm really excited to wear it there and show my friends.

Hi.

Right now, I'm really tired and sore because I just had a basketball game We won 21 to 11, but the girl I was guarding kept elbowing me, so that's why I'm really sore.

Also, basketball just makes me sore because we have to run around a lot I'm really hungry and definitely planning on eating a sandwich soon.

But I'm so mad because my mom's going to make me clean my room today, and I hate cleaning Hi.

Right now, I'm not as mad that my mom making – is making me clean my room because my next-door neighbor, who is also my friend, got to come over so I get to clean while I’m also – while I also have a friend over.

Right now, I'm really happy and comfortable because my mom let me put on PJs early and it’s only the afternoon I'm really excited for my acting and musical theater class tomorrow because I love that class so much It's like so much fun.

Hi.

Right now, I'm kind of mad because my mom’s make me clean more today again.

Just like yesterday.

But I'm probably planning on listening to music while I'm cleaning.

so that might make it more fun because I love singing and I love music.

Right now, I'm feeling really happy and I have a mustache.

Mustache.

We won my basketball game, so we'll go to the next tournament and I really hope we make it to the championship.

I'm really nervous because I have a test tomorrow and I'm going to study for the test so much tonight because I really don’t want to get a bad grade That's about it, bye.

I was impressed with Ceci's description of her emotions.

She described feeling mad because she had to clean.

But then she said that spending time with friends and listening to music helped her feel less mad.

Just annoyed So we learned that listening to music and spending time with friends were coping strategies.

She also talked about having nervousness or anxiety for an upcoming test.

It's important to know that it's normal.

and not all anxiety is bad.

Sometimes anxiety means that we care and it motivates us to study like it did for Ceci.

But sometimes anxiety can get so big that it gets in the way of studying and we can't sleep and we get too anxious to do well That's when it's important to use our coping skills, talk to an adult or find other tools to manage those feelings.

Hi, I'm Mariam, I'm 7 years old.

I feel really disappointed because my good friend from school was supposed to come to this birthday party with me, but she got sick right before the party So then she could come – she couldn't come with me.

I feel really disappointed about that I feel focused because I’m trying to hit all these pins down in one turn.

So it’s really hard.

I made it!

I feel really thankful because I get to play in the snow and it's snowed this morning.

And I love the snow because it's very pretty and it shimmers in the sunlight.

I feel lots of love because daddy gave me, a bucket of hot water for me to put my freezing feet in because, I was playing in the snow I’m not feeling sad.

But I just tried to peel an onion So it's making me cry.

Right now Hehe.

I feel full because I just finished eating my noodles and they were delicious.

When I read a book, I feel really curious because I want to know what happens I love reading books.

I feel hopeful because I love the snow, and I want a day off again to play in the snow and make a big snowman.

I feel really tired because I had a busy weekend.

It was all amazing, but now I'm really tired so I'm going to go to bed.

Goodnight.

Mariam did a wonderful job describing the situations that made her feel different emotions She also did really good listening to her body when she felt tired and doing what her body needed – going to bed Also, she talked about having things to look forward to, which made her feel hopeful and happy Remember, feelings can change frequently If you are having heavy feelings you can do deep breathing exercises or talk to an adult while they're happening but they won't last forever.

We saw in that last segment how feelings can change quickly, but when we have tough feelings, we still need help managing them Yeah, feelings like anger, sadness, or anxiety can be hard to stop.

So we're going to run through some helpful techniques with the help of another expert in our next segment.

Get comfortable and get ready to try these techniques at home.

This is “Take a Minute.” Hi, my name is Emily Grabo, and I'm a board certified registered art therapist at Akron Children's Hospital.

I'm here today to talk about a few techniques that we can use when we've had big feelings to calm our bodies and calm our minds.

I have some great helpers with me today.

I have Ellie, and I have Charlotte.

And we're going to be talking about box breathing first.

So, what do we think of when we think of a box?

What shape?

Like a square or rectangular shape Uh huh.

And how many sides does a square or rectangle have?

Four.

- Perfect.

So when we're thinking about a box breath, we're going to be really focusing on the number four.

So it just means that we're gonna be doing an inhale for four.

So that could be one, two, three, four.

Or we can make the box with the whole cycle where we go inhale in, one, two, three, four Hold, one, two, three, four.

Exhale, one, two, three, four.

Hold, one, two, three, four.

We're going to get nice and comfortable And then I'm going to count the fours so that we can remember fours and remember what we're doing when we're inhaling and when we're holding So, ready?

We're gonna do an inhale - one, two, three, four.

Hold, one, two, three, four.

Exhale, one, two, three, four.

Hold, one, two, three, four.

One more time.

Inhale, one, two, three, four.

Hold, one, two, three, four.

Exhale, one, two, three, four.

Hold, one, two, three, four.

And then you can just breathe normal Great job, you guys.

So you just did a great thing for your body.

So we slowed down our breathing.

We balanced our breathing a little bit.

We got more oxygen in our bodies And so that helps to tell our brains I'm OK, everything's all right.

And it's OK to calm down.

And so the more we do these breaths the better they work.

So, if you're at home and you're trying this out for the first time, it might feel kind of hard.

But keep doing it.

Keep practicing that box breathing Remember the fours and before you know it you'll feel more relaxed.

We're going to move into another breathing technique that's a little bit more visual and helps us pay attention to our breath even more.

So I have two great helpers still with me.

I've got Ellie and Charlotte, and so we're gonna be doing some belly breaths together.

So what is our breathing like when something is kind of scary?

Like, heavy a little bit.

It's heavy breathing.

Yeah.

What about you?

You’re out of breath You’re out of breath.

So maybe we're breathing really fast And so, if we have our hand on our chest and hand on our belly, let's practice breathing really fast once.

Ready?

Oh boy.

Yeah.

So, if you guys really notice, your top hand is gonna move a lot more when we're doing those, like, breaths when we're kind of nervous or scared So we're not getting all the oxygen we need into our bellies that we're really trying for.

So what we're gonna do now is we’re gonna take some deep breaths together And if you really pay attention, you'll notice that our bottom hand is gonna move a lot more.

So, ready?

We're gonna take a big deep breath in and see which hand moves further.

Ready?

One more time.

Ready?

Did that feel different?

Yeah.

We were breathing both times, but that probably felt really different between those two kinds of breaths So the first breath was really shallow And the second breath was a nice big belly breath, which you get lots of oxygen into our bodies.

And so when we take those really slow breaths, it helps our brain know that we’re safe and that everything's OK.

It helps our bodies calm down when we're feeling really stressed out.

Sometimes it's nice to give our eyes something to focus on, too.

So, why don't we try drawing our breath together.

Does that sound like something we can do?

Yeah.

Yeah.

You guys are so great So, pick a color that you think is relaxing or one that you just really like to look at Perfect.

I'm going to grab one too.

So I'm gonna show you a really quick a really easy way that we can do this that we can draw our breath together And then I'm gonna give you guys a chance to try.

All right.

So, for me, I like to take a big deep breath And I use it almost like measuring my breath.

So, And I'm gonna move the line right there.

And then when I take a big deep breath out, I'm gonna ... exhale.

And I'm gonna draw that line too So when we're trying to do it by ourselves, we might be doing it over and over again but we're just gonna do it a couple of times for practice.

Sound good?

Yeah.

OK. All right.

Ready?

Big deep breath in and draw your picture.

Breath out.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Nice job.

Did you notice anything about your lines?

My deep breath out was, is more longer than my deep breath in Mine was, too, a little bit.

What about you?

Did you notice anything about your lines Mine was kind of, like, longer than the other one when I breath in.

Well, yours was when you breathe in So those are both good things.

It just gives us more information to know how we're breathing.

So when we see it, we can be more intentional about slowing down our breath, taking big deep, long breaths.

Because if we took a really short one we would know we weren't getting enough air in our bodies.

You guys did a great job.

Thank you so much for helping.

You’re welcome.

Now, we're gonna talk about emotions and feelings with some experts from Akron Children's.

We have Monica Cunningham and Doctor Mapes here with us today Welcome.

Can you tell us what your specialty is and what do you do?

I'm Monica Cunningham.

I am a community health educator teaching the Nurturing Families Program to parents that have children 0-5 And I'm Doctor Ayla Mapes.

I'm a pediatric psychologist at Akron Children's.

So I work with children and families providing mental and behavioral health treatment.

So I teach them how to cope with feelings, change your thoughts, learn about the connection between our physical and mental health and teach parents tips for working with their kids on challenging behaviors or just interacting with their kids.

Well, thanks for joining us.

In our episode today, we saw a lot of different emotions and feelings What can you tell us about them?

Well, we all have them and we have so many different feelings.

Can you name some feeling words?

Disappointed.

Melancholy.

Good one.

You stole my word!

Yeah.

Those are great words.

Upset.

Upset.

Yes.

Sad.

Mad.

Or maybe even all of those at once, right?

We can have them all at the same and they can feel really big and really intense sometimes – or heavy.

So I like to categorize feelings as heavy or light.

Some heavy feelings might be anxiety, sadness, fear.

And light feelings might be happy or joy or excitement, surprise.

And sometimes when we have heavy we want to ignore them and pretend they're not happening But then that makes them bigger and it makes them last longer.

So, when we have heavy feelings, we want to name the feeling.

We want to rate it.

So is it big?

Is it small?

We want to pay attention to how it makes us feel in our body So maybe our stomach hurts or our head hurts or our heart is racing and we're hot.

And then we can learn coping skills to manage those feelings, like deep breathing like you learned about earlier.

Yeah, so for our little ones, our infants, toddlers and preschoolers they don't yet know what all these feelings are or what's happening inside of their bodies.

You know something, you know if their shoulders get tight Maybe they, you know, want to cry and they don't understand why they want to cry.

It's really important for parents to label the feelings that they think that their child is having And so over time, then it starts to educate the child.

That that's the word that's attached to the feeling that they're having We saw some difficult feelings in the “Acting Out Emotions” segment and wondered, do we experience big emotions differently at different ages?

I would say we experience emotions differently no matter the age, but of course we can have different feelings and react to them differently when we're different ages.

That's why it's so important to name the feeling and learn what it is for you so that you can communicate it.

But little kids, they might not have the words to communicate it So they might act it out, right, like yelling or not listening Whereas a teenager might get more quiet, a little bit angry or not want to hang out with people But even two teenagers might not experience emotions the same way or show them the same way.

That's why it's really good to talk about it in your family.

Right.

And so again, for our little ones, they don't have the vocabulary.

They don't yet maybe have the communication to be able to express what they're feeling.

So, like Doctor Mapes said, sometimes their behavior some acting out behavior hitting or hurting others, we're gonna see a lot of those behaviors happening in the home.

And it's really important for the parents to be just curious of what's going on with their kids to understand what their feelings are.

What's the best thing to do when a young kid is having an epic, tear-filled meltdown in the middle of the cereal aisle Lily, that is a great question because we know as parents, there is probably no chance that we're gonna get out of toddlerhood or preschool years without seeing a temper tantrum or a meltdown.

Especially if the child is hungry, tired, in a new environment, it's very age appropriate for our little ones to have meltdowns It's important for parents to have a plan in place when that happens Above all, start out by being calm Stay calm.

If you raise your voice, they're gonna raise their voice.

Label the feeling that you think that they're having, say that to them I see that you're angry.

You're upset that you’re not getting that cereal We're not gonna buy that cereal today.

So it's OK for you to be angry.

You're allowed to cry.

We're gonna go ahead and continue our grocery shopping, now.

So I need you to hold on to the cart or hold my hand.

And we're gonna finish up shoopping and then we'll go home and tell them what you're going to do next – something to look forward to.

Give them a chance to respond.

If they don't, hopefully you have an opportunity to take them to the restroom and let them have a chance to calm down in the restroom.

But again, remain calm, use age-appropriate language, and keep labeling the emotion that you think that they're having And I really like that you gave the example of kind of forced ch So it's telling them what to do instead of “stop that”, “don't”, “quit” Right?

So, you can hold my hand or you can grab the cart.

You're giving them a choice, but you're kind of giving them something that they need to do in that moment.

It's like the only two things, it's like you do this or this.

Right.

But above all, we want to remind parents do not give in to what they're upset about, because if we do, that's basically rewarding them for that behavior, and it's gonna encourage them to the next time.

OK, fine.

Just take the cereal Stop crying OK. Yeah.

Because then every time we see cereal and we want it – big emotions, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

We heard that when you're little big emotions can feel like they're permanant Do you have any advice to help kids when they're feeling that way?

Good question.

Emotions are naturally fleeting.

They don't last very long, but they can feel like they do.

And they can feel really intense and uncomfortable.

And so that's why it's good to have a whole bunch of different coping skills to manage those different feelings.

I like to think of coping skills like tools for life.

Like you're a construction worker and you have a construction belt Right?

And you have your different tools screwdriver for different situat screwdriver for different situations We want to have the same kind of tool belt for life.

So tools might be deep breathing for anxiety.

Or maybe going for a walk or exercising for sadness, or talking to an adult.

Those are all the tools you want to keep adding and trying different ones to figure out what works.

Another important thing to remember about how long emotions last is that they are related to how we think what we are telling ourselves in moments.

So let's say you have a stressful situation at school.

makes your anxiety go way up, but then the situation ends and anxiety comes back down.

But then you go home and you think about it over and and wish it had gone different and wish you had said something and wish you had said something different What's gonna happen to anxiety?

It’s gonna go back up, right?

And so you're gonna make that emotion happen all over again.

And so you need to notice that you're doing that.

Talk to an adult about it or even kind of engage in an activity that takes your mind of it, like a fun activity.

Yeah.

And so parents with young children if they are labeling the feeling that they're seeing all day long in their child.

So, I see that you're angry.

I see that you're upset.

You know, just talking about emotions all day long is really going to start to teach them that their emotions are gonna ebb and flow.

And so, say they had a meltdown earlier in the day Now we're sitting at lunch and were laughing and we're having fun.

We can say something like, “Hey, remember, just a little bit ago, you were really upset because your block tower kept falling over.

Now look at us.

We're having fun And so when we continue to label and then just talk about what was happening throughout the day I think it teaches our kids those feelings aren't permanent That makes lots of sense.

Rhys and I did some fun challenges around emojis and text, and we wondered if there are any tips you have for avoiding miscommunition Yes, because miscommunication happens a lot with text messages, right?

Because we don't have all the same information that we get when we're talking like this, right?

like my tone of voice or my body posture.

So for example, if I said “That's cool” or I said, “That's cool.” Probably different, right?

Different meanings, different feelings And so you miss all of that in a text message.

You could interpret it either way And so you might want to when your sending a message, make sure it's clear.

Maybe add a smiley face or a sad face to show what you're trying to say Or when you're on the end where you're getting the text message and you're not sure what it means, ask!

“Was this a good text, bad text, how we feeling?” Or when you see them in person, “Hey, I didn't understand that text Can you explain it?” And so then you can avoid those miscommunications.

Today we saw skits where kids were missing out on fun and feeling peer pressure Do you talk with kids about those feelings?

Of course.

In those situations, kids feel all kinds of heavy feelings like sadness or disappointment or maybe even worry.

And it might be because of the way we're thinking about this situation Are we worried that people aren’t gonna like us if we don't go?

And if that's the case, is that though true?

Are people really not gonna be your friend because you can't go to this event?

Are there events that you maybe have missed in the past and they still like you?

And when we have thoughts like that another trick is to think about what you would say to a friend when they're having that thought How would you comfort them?

And then you can say it to yourself to try to help change your thoughts, which will help change how you feel.

We also saw a skit where a kid was cut from a sports team, even though they worked hard for it How do we deal with moments like that Being cut from a sports team could make you feel all kinds of ways What feelings might it bring up?

Anger.

Anger, yeah.

- Disappointment Yeah, anger and disappointment and sadness – maybe worry – all those feelings at once.

And then we can think about how can we cope with those feelings in the moment?

But then also, what are my beliefs about the situation?

Do I believe that I'm a failure all the time?

Is that true?

Are there so many things I'm actually really good at?

What other goals can I make instead of this?

So what’s great for our little children is they're learning so much all and so quickly.

So parents can really set up opportunities to teach about resilience and failure So whether it is providing a child with an age-appropriate toy, like a puzzle Maybe the child's doing really well matching the picture to where it's supposed to go but can’t get it into the the slot, right?

We can say something like, “Great job, you're working so hard I can see that you're really trying” And then we just help them be successful in getting that puzzle piece in the slot.

Playing board games is another really great way to teach our kids that we don't always win.

I love board games.

Me too.

Are there any other tips or advice you have for kids related to emotions or feelings?

It's good to remember that we all have them, right, even adults And they're not just in our mind they're in our body.

So they can make physical symptoms happen, right, like that feeling really hot or your heart racing And we want to learn coping skills and talk about them so that we can control our emoti emotions instead of our emotions controlling us and running our actions and behaviors If emotions get so big so often that it’s causing a lot of distress or getting in the way of school, or being able to make friends or have fun then maybe it's time to talk to a counselor or a psychologist Because then you can kind of learn additional skills.

And some psychologists also help with the physical symptoms, too So we have psychologists who work with you to manage pain or headaches or stomach aches and sleep And all of those things are things we can learn skills to make it a little bit easier.

And so I really encourage parents to remember that all feelings are great, all feelings are important.

There's not good feelings or bad feelings They're all important.

And so we want to remember to remain calm, be patient and use age-appropriate language when we talk with our kids about their feelings Now we're going to test your “EMO IQ” That means emotional intelligence We'll ask you questions about conversations with kids.

And you have to choose the right answer.

Are you ready?

Ready.

Okay.

Okay.

You text your teen about how their test went today.

Which response says they're unhappy about it?

A, is “Good.” B, is a thumbs up C, “Don't worry about it.” Or D, they left you on read.

D. Yeah, I agree D. Whoa, yeah, you got it.

You tell your child that tonight's dinner is pizza.

Which response means they are excited?

A, “It's fine.” B, “Bet.” C, “Again?” D, “Not hungry.” Bet.

Bet, for sure.

Bet.

I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a kid say “no pizza” Pizza again?

You ask your kid, “How is school when they get home.

They just say, “fine,” but are clearly upset.

What do you do next?

Say, “You seem quiet; when you're ready, I'm here to listen.” B, Ask open-ended questions.

C, Give them space and try again later Or D, All of the above.

I would say all of the above.

Same, all the above.

Drum roll.

Yay!

You got it.

Yeah, I think all of those are really good responses to a teen who comes home and has had a rough day.

Sometimes a teenager needs you to ask them some open-ended questions so they can talk and process it.

But sometimes they need to just have some space to calm down and then they can come to you on their own terms.

But letting them know that you see them but then you're gonna wait for them when they're ready to talk to you is honestly the best thing to do Thanks for answering our questions If anyone watching has more questions about feelings or emotions and would like to ask an expert, just message us on Facebook or Instagram Thank you both for being a part of our show and answering our questions about feelings and emotions.

Thanks for having us.

- Yeah.

Thank you We'll be right back after another “Moment of Childhood” Today, we've explored a lot about emotions and feelings and learned some helpful tips.

Right.

We know that we can all see or feel something different in the same situation We saw that communicating without all the important cues can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings So, we have to be aware of that when messaging with friends or family We saw what emotions can feel like they never end, but they change pretty often, so big feelings aren't usually permanent And we learned a few tools to help us take a minute when we're feeling overwhelmed We hope you enjoyed watching this episode of More childhood, please.™” If you have any thoughts on topics or challenges you'd like to see on another episode, message us on Facebook and Instagram We'll see you on the next episode Bye.

Want to try it this time?

Sure, but let's go make some new ones too.