One of the things that Sweet B has consistently struggled with are abstract concepts such as moods. She’s done somewhat okay with concrete concepts such as colors, numbers, foods, or anything else that has some sort of association with the senses. If she can feel it, see it, taste, smell it, or touch it- she’s more likely to remember what it is and have an easier time with learning it.
Of course it still takes repetition, but that’s just how she learns. With abstract concepts, on the other hand, it’s definitely been more of a struggle. But, I’ve also learned (through trial and error, and a lot of assistance from her team of teachers and therapists) that visual representations do a world of good. By being able to associate a picture with a mood, for example, Sweet B is able to express herself.
The movie Inside Out has really helped her with this and recently, we had the opportunity to take a look at a book and toy set called The Moodsters.
We were provided with complimentary product to facilitate this post. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.
In this book, the Moodsters introduce the following moods: Happy, Afraid, Angry, Loving, and Sad.
Along with the book, you also get a Moodster Meter which is another great visual way for a child to express how they’re feeling at that moment.
In fact, for someone with limited reading skills like Sweet B, the Moodster meter was the far more handy and useful item in the package. That’s not to say that we didn’t find the book useful, just for her- the meter made more sense. I think it was also more appealing to her because of the lights. If it made music, then she really would have been sold on the idea.
But I digress.
Overall, I think that this is a really helpful tool for helping her to understand moods and feelings. While the book may not be what she needs right now, the meter aspect definitely helped.
I also created a quick set of cards to go with the book set.
This time around, the clipart is from Edu-Clips and you get one set of cards with no words and one set of cards with words. You can use these for matching or for identifying different emotions and feelings.
What ways do you have for helpings kids identify moods?
Kori
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