The Role of Nursery in Helping Children Regulate Their Feelings and Emotions

When children attend nursery, they learn many new skills, helping them grow and develop throughout their early years of education. For many small children, particularly those who have just begun attending preschool, recognising emotions, expressing feelings, and healthily channeling this can often be a challenge. At nursery, little ones learn how to regulate their emotions, putting these skills into practice, allowing them to react appropriately and calmly, no matter how they’re feeling.

Are you looking for a nursery in Westward Heath? At Jackalberry Daycare, a leading nursery school in Coventry, we are there to support every child as they enter our doors, providing them with a safe space to overcome hurdles and challenges. Children react to situations differently and can find it hard to regulate their feelings in a controlled way. Because of this, we’re there to guide little ones along this journey, giving them the skills they need to tackle daily challenges and express themselves freely. Below, we’ll delve into how children can learn these all-important skills at nursery, and how to put them into practice at home and in future educational settings.

What is Emotional Regulation?

In the early years foundation stage (EYFS), children learn how to appropriately respond to social scenarios, and how to overcome tough challenges, helping them build a sense of resilience when regulating their emotions. Emotional regulation enables children to face challenges and recognise the importance of positively moving forward while still acknowledging their feelings and emotions.

Emotional regulation is taught during the early educational years, through everyday routines, allowing children to learn key coping mechanisms that are suited to their needs. Whether they prefer voicing their concerns to a trusted nursery adult or find comfort in a special teddy, there are many ways children learn to remain emotionally resilient as they grow up. This helps them find suitable ways to overcome individual challenges without allowing their feelings to escalate or overwhelm them.

How We Embed this Into our Daily Routines

At our nursery school in Coventry, we encourage little ones to navigate daily tasks and activities, learning all types of new skills along the way. One of the most important things children learn while at our Westward Heath nursery is how to overcome emotional challenges in an appropriate and controlled way. This is a journey, but helps prepare them for future educational endeavours. 

• Recognising Key Emotions: Children learn various emotions and what they mean. This helps them express themselves, as they display the signs they associate with the emotion to those around them, including smiling and laughing when they’re feeling happy or excited. 

• Storytelling: Listening to stories and songs about other individuals facing their emotions is a great way to show children how others face certain challenges and how these should be resolved healthily and positively.

• Play Time: One of the most effective ways that children learn how to express themselves and recognise other people's emotions is by playing with their peers. Sharing toys, resolving disputes with friends, and finding resolutions to problems are all part of nursery play.

• Overcoming Disputes: Small children can sometimes become sad or frustrated, occasionally leading to their emotions taking over. Instead, at our nursery school in Coventry, we explain how these feelings and disputes can be rectified productively.  

Emotional Regulation: How it Prepares Little Ones for Future Education

Although learning these skills for everyday life at nursery is important, there are several reasons why they’re taught so early, preparing them for future education and even adulthood. There are many studies that suggest teaching children how to regulate their emotions is highly beneficial for their current mental health and future academic abilities. Here are some of the ways managing emotions helps children in later education:

• Greater Mental Health: Children can feel much happier and positive at school as they know how to overcome difficulties or friendship disagreements, preventing these issues from affecting their school work, self-esteem, and general mood. 

• Builds Emotional Resilience: Children who learn how to regulate their emotions are less likely to let negative feelings control a situation. For example, when faced with a hard task, they’re more likely to try and overcome it instead of being overwhelmed by frustration or upset.

• Improves Communication Skills: If little ones have learned how to express their emotions healthily in early education, they’re much more likely to voice their concerns and feelings with others without feeling overwhelmed, allowing them to seek and give support with greater ease.

How Can Parents Support Emotional Development at Home?

While our Westward Heath nursery is a fantastic place for children to feel nurtured and supported during the journey of recognising and facing important feelings and emotions, putting these skills into practice outside of a nursery setting is imperative. Emotional regulation is an important part of daily life, for both children and adults, making it a key skill for little ones to practice as they grow and develop. Below are some effective ways parents can further support their child’s emotional development at home:

• Praise the child for successfully regulating their emotions and appropriately expressing them. This reinforces positive behaviour and helps children understand that their efforts to manage feelings are valued and important.

• Discussing what happened at nursery, allowing them to voice their feelings in a safe and open environment. Parents can listen actively and validate their child’s emotions, showing them that it’s okay to talk about both positive and negative experiences.

• Model appropriate responses by showing the healthy way of expressing emotions like sadness, frustration, and excitement. Children learn by observing adults, so when parents demonstrate calmness and empathy, it encourages them to mirror these behaviours.

• Practice problem-solving by presenting issues and discussing various solutions that can help regulate strong emotions and stop their responses from escalating. This builds resilience and teaches children that challenges can be worked through thoughtfully rather than with frustration alone.

Looking for a Nursery School in Coventry? Visit Jackalberry Daycare

Finding the right nursery for your child is an important step, providing them with a safe and nurturing space where they can learn, grow, and play. Emotional regulation is an essential skill that allows children to recognise emotions, react appropriately to various scenarios, and regulate their feelings in a calm and controlled manner. 

At Jackalberry Daycare, we are committed to helping children navigate nursery life with self-assurance as they overcome difficulties and celebrate their successes with confidence. To book a visit with one of our team at our nursery school in Coventry, please contact us. We look forward to meeting you.