Hellobee Boards Topic: How to get a 2 y.o. to "open up" about emotions

Hellobee Boards Topic: How to get a 2 y.o. to "open up" about emotions https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 04 Jun 2026 01:17:55 +0000 fussygal on "How to get a 2 y.o. to "open up" about emotions" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-2-yo-to-open-up-about-emotions#post-2669454 Thu, 22 Dec 2016 15:39:52 +0000 fussygal 2669454@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Thanks for all the suggestions! The past few months we've been really making an effort to make sure we identify her emotions and ours, which also causes her to clams up, but I at least she's hearing them called out so she can recognize them! That being said, DH and I are both fairly introverted and work our emotions out internally most of the time, so we could definitely stand to try and exhibit that in front of her more. We started watching DT more last summer and she seems to really like them and sings the songs, so hopefully they're sticking! @twodoghouse: Thanks for the book recommendation! We bought her a similar one for Christmas a few weeks back and I can't wait to read it with her. twodoghouse on "How to get a 2 y.o. to "open up" about emotions" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-2-yo-to-open-up-about-emotions#post-2667776 Mon, 19 Dec 2016 22:06:18 +0000 twodoghouse 2667776@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I like the Sandra Boynton book "Happy Hippo, Angry Duck" to talk about a lot of different feelings. I also tell them when I am frustrated, nervous, tired, happy, excited, etc. to give them vocabulary. And I also say things like "you sound angry that I won't let you xyz" or "it's ok if you feel upset about xyz" so they can associate those feelings with words. A and B are 2.5 and I think they are pretty in tune with their emotions. Today I asked Alice if she was mad that Blake took her toy and she said "I'm not mad. I just need to be upset for a minute." Cole on "How to get a 2 y.o. to "open up" about emotions" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-2-yo-to-open-up-about-emotions#post-2667772 Mon, 19 Dec 2016 22:00:16 +0000 Cole 2667772@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Agreed on Daniel Tiger, I never thought I'd be such a fan of a kids show yet I totally am! I've noticed a lot of kids struggle with direct praise Ave do better with a very simple acknowledgement and maybe later mentioning "I was thinking about how you did X earlier, I felt really proud of you. How did you feel about it?" Or maybe even leaving out the part about your own feelings. I've found sometimes I've been impressed with my daughter doing something but she won't feel proud or accomplished yet since it didn't meet the picture in her head- like she walked the length of the balance beam but didn't jump off and land on two feet- I may be proud of the walking the length but she's still working on the skill in her mind. At any rate, we chat a lot about "you seem really upset, are you mad?" Or "when I'm sad, a hug can really help me feel better, would you like a hug?" Etc I feel like these conversations lay a solid foundation for chatting about the bigger stuff too. littlejoy on "How to get a 2 y.o. to "open up" about emotions" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-2-yo-to-open-up-about-emotions#post-2667679 Mon, 19 Dec 2016 19:19:50 +0000 littlejoy 2667679@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @LBee: I seriously thing DT has helped my LO with expressing emotions too. In general, we are always sure to express our own feelings, and allow her space to share. If I feel like she's experiencing an emotion (like feeling shy or scared or proud), we try to comment on it to be sure she knows the floor is open. Whether good or bad, we let the big feelings be there. Mrs. Cheesecake on "How to get a 2 y.o. to "open up" about emotions" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-2-yo-to-open-up-about-emotions#post-2667668 Mon, 19 Dec 2016 18:46:45 +0000 Mrs. Cheesecake 2667668@https://boards.hellobee.com/ DS (3.5yo) did this when we praised him for something good he did. He would reply with some gibberish phrase like "blahblahblah." At first it used to irritate and confuse me, because I thought he would be happy to be praised. But whenever he does it now, I just say "You must be really proud of yourself" and leave it at that. Sometimes he smiles in return or he will say something back like "I did it!" I think he didn't know how to reply to that "feeling" of being happy or proud at first and maybe needed to hear from me what it was called. mrsbubbletea on "How to get a 2 y.o. to "open up" about emotions" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-2-yo-to-open-up-about-emotions#post-2667661 Mon, 19 Dec 2016 18:19:30 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2667661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Maybe try to verbalize how you feel a lot and mirror expressing it. Even in play, pretend a toy is mad or happy or whatever and have them "say it"? LBee on "How to get a 2 y.o. to "open up" about emotions" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-2-yo-to-open-up-about-emotions#post-2667619 Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:54:39 +0000 LBee 2667619@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My son does really well with Daniel Tiger in terms of helping him express his feelings. There was also a recent study that shows that kids who watch Daniel Tiger are more likely to show empathy, social confidence, etc (linked below). I wouldn't say you necessarily need to watch the show, though. DS is almost 2.5 and really likes the book "How is Daniel Feeling?" We also always use the same phrase - "Take a deep breath and use your words" - whenever he's feeling any emotion he can't seem to verbalize. I do think deflecting is super normal at this age and I'm sure in her mind she thinks her brother doesn't have expectations because he's a baby and that seems nice. <a href="https://childrenandmediaman.com/2016/06/21/research-shows-preschoolers-who-watch-daniel-tigers-neighborhood-develop-social-and-emotional-skills/" rel="nofollow">https://childrenandmediaman.com/2016/06/21/research-shows-preschoolers-who-watch-daniel-tigers-neighborhood-develop-social-and-emotional-skills/</a> fussygal on "How to get a 2 y.o. to "open up" about emotions" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-2-yo-to-open-up-about-emotions#post-2667609 Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:46:22 +0000 fussygal 2667609@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I know toddlers aren't well known for expressing their feelings in an articulate way, but how do you get them to open up? Our 2.5 year old daughter has been doing this thing lately where she tries to dodge a lot of topics by answering with the phrase "Calvin (her brother) says ga-ga." This is weird for a number of reasons 1) She has a huge vocabulary so it's odd that she picks such a baby-ish phrase and 2) She's deflecting attention away from herself and to her brother because she's uncomfortable. Usually she says it if we're praising her for something she knows is a big deal (potty training), discipling her in some way (making her apologize), or to avoid anything she doesn't want to talk about (Santa - ha!). I'm sure this is something that will get better as she gets older, but in the meantime I feel bad that she's uncomfortable and not able to express herself! Any good books or other advice?