Big feelings are a part of childhood. Whether it’s frustration over losing a game, disappointment when plans change, or excitement that’s hard to contain, children are learning how to understand and navigate their emotions every day.

One of the biggest misconceptions about emotional development is that kids should simply “know” how to manage their feelings. But they don’t. Children are born with all of the feelings, but none of the skills to manage them. Those skills, like identifying emotions, calming their bodies, solving problems, and taking another person’s perspective, are learned over time through caring relationships and repeated practice.

The good news? Emotional skills don’t have to be taught through long lectures or formal lessons. Some of the most meaningful learning happens through play.

Whether you’re a parent, nanny, or babysitter, here are five simple ways to help children build emotional skills during everyday play.

1. Name emotions as they happen.

Before children can manage their emotions, they first need to recognize them. When a child is frustrated, excited, nervous, or proud, simply naming the emotion helps build emotional awareness.

You might say:

“It looks like you’re feeling disappointed that your tower fell.”

Or:

“You’re really excited for Grandma to come over!”

Over time, children build the vocabulary they need to recognize, understand, and express what they’re feeling.

2. Read stories that help kids explore big emotions.

Stories allow children to experience big feelings through relatable characters before they encounter those same situations in real life. Whether you’re reading at bedtime, during a quiet afternoon, or while babysitting for the evening, books create natural opportunities to pause, ask questions, and wonder together:

“How do you think they felt?”

“Why do you think they made that choice?”

“What would you have done?”

The Emmers Big-Hearted Resilience storybook collection was created with child development experts to help children navigate common challenges like frustration, disappointment, and perseverance through engaging stories that spark meaningful conversations.

3. Practice emotional skills through play.

We wouldn’t expect a child to learn to ride a bike without practicing. Emotional skills work the same way.

Children don’t become empathetic, resilient, or emotionally regulated simply because we tell them to. They build those skills by practicing them over and over again in safe, connected moments.

Screen-free games, pretend play, and cooperative activities give children opportunities to identify emotions, take another person’s perspective, tolerate frustration, solve problems, and celebrate others’ successes.

The Emmers Emotion Seekers board game was designed with child-development experts to make that practice fun, giving children repeated opportunities to build these skills while laughing, connecting, and asking to play another round.

4. Get curious instead of rushing to solve.

When children experience big feelings, our instinct is often to fix the problem. But emotional growth doesn’t happen because children avoid hard feelings. It happens because they learn they can move through them.

Instead of immediately offering solutions, try getting curious. You might ask:

“Hmm… what do you think you could try next?”

“What do you think would help?”

Curiosity communicates confidence. It tells children:

“I believe you can handle hard things, and I’ll help you figure it out.”

Those moments build confidence, flexible thinking, and problem-solving skills that last far beyond childhood.

5. Remember that emotional skills take time.

We don’t expect children to become fluent readers after one bedtime story or master riding a bike after one afternoon. Emotional skills develop the same way: through hundreds of small, everyday moments.

Every conversation, every game, every story, and every opportunity to work through disappointment becomes another chance to strengthen those emotional muscles.

That’s why the Ultimate Emmers Bundle pairs three Big-Hearted Resilience storybooks with the Emotion Seekers board game. The books introduce emotional concepts through relatable stories, while the game gives children repeated opportunities to practice those same skills through play.

Whether you’re a parent, nanny, babysitter, or educator, those everyday moments of connection can make a lasting difference.

At Emmers, we believe emotional skills are some of the most important skills children will ever build, and play is one of the most joyful ways to build them.

Emmers is created by child development experts and founded by mom and psychology advocate Melanie Sperling Palmer. Designed to make emotional learning fun for both kids and parents, Emmers gives families practical, research-backed tools to strengthen emotional wellbeing one meaningful moment at a time. This blog is in collaboration with Melanie Palmer, Founder & CEO of Emmers.