We may have strong feelings when it comes to emotions, and that’s a good thing.

Discussing your emotions - where they come from and what they’re trying to teach us - is an important habit to build, as opposed to the common habit of … rumination (in other words, allowing our emotions to take over.) 

Checking in and establishing a mindfulness practice to learn from our emotions is something that can be cultivated by simply talking about it and working it out. An easy way to do that with children is by channeling their inner weather reporter.

Start by explaining that an emotion is just like the weather: it’s something that comes and goes.

The rain falls and stops
The sun rises and sets
The wind blows and goes
And behind the clouds is the ever-present sun. 

Discussing emotions can be difficult, so putting emotions in the terms of a weather forecast is useful since it adds a playful element. More so than an exercise, weather-reporting is a mindfulness practice that helps children feel comfortable with what may be an uncomfortable conversation by making the process of discussing their feelings more accessible.

Once the weather report unfolds, then we can ask “what do you think the clouds (anger/sadness/etc.) are trying to tell you?” Or “what is your emotion trying to teach you right now?”