We all need to learn about emotions no matter whether we are 2 or 42 or even 62. The time to begin learning about emotions is when you are as young as possible.

Most of us are pretty good about teaching our children to smile or to be happy. Being happy is one of the earliest emotions children learn about. But there are many more emotions to learn about than only how to be happy.

Knowing how you feel and how other people feel about something helps you make better decisions. Yet children sometimes do not know the words to tell you how they feel. This is something he needs to learn.

Help you child develop an “emotion vocabulary” by talking about the words that describe how he feels. Let him give you some of the words if he can.

Here are some starters:

happy, delighted, frustrated

anxious, calm, pleased

sad, ashamed, enthusiastic

tense, angry, concerned

irritated, upset, satisfied

worried, proud, scared

disappointed, excited, overwhelmed

Not only can you learn the emotion words that he has in his vocabulary now but you can see about adding to those words. When you read a new book and it describes how someone feels, talk about it.

Add to his vocabulary. How would he describe how the character is feeling? It may even be easier for him to talk about how the character in the book is feeling than for him to describe how he is feeling.

When he is upset about something, ask him to tell you how he feels. Even if it takes a little effort for him to describe his feelings, it will help him to learn to say how he feels.

If he has a problem when he is playing with someone, ask him to describe how his playmate was feeling. Ask him if his playmate was angry or excited. Give him other choices that describe the emotional state of his playmate.

I have a dog who gets very angry when I leave the house without him. I can discuss this dog’s behavior when he is angry with me.

So talk with him about emotions. Help him learn to understand his and to be aware of others. Talk with him about how he feels and how he thinks others feel. You are helping him learn how to describe his feelings and to understand others feeling. This can help him in life.

Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and former executive director of Parenting Matters Foundation, which publishes newsletters for parents, caregivers and grandparents. For more information, email to info@firstteacher.org or call 360-681-2250.