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Helping Children Manage Emotions
Practical, calm ways to help your child name, understand and cope with big feelings, from toddler tantrums to pre-teen worries
- 2 hoursself-paced
- 6modules
- 5interactive tools
- Certificatewhen you pass
What you will be able to do
- explain why children have big feelings and what is typical at different ages.
- help your child name feelings using a feelings chart and body clues.
- use the five steps of emotion coaching, including setting kind, firm limits on behaviour.
- stay calmer yourself in difficult moments and help your child calm down.
- set up a calm-down corner and teach two or three calming skills.
- use a daily mood tracker to spot patterns and triggers.
- recognise signs that a child may need extra support and know who to contact in New Zealand.
About this course
Every child has big feelings. Anger, worry, sadness and frustration are a normal part of growing up, but they can be hard to live with, for the child and for you. This course gives you a clear, everyday approach to helping children aged roughly 2 to 12 recognise their feelings, put them into words and learn ways to calm down.
You will learn emotion coaching, a well-known approach used by many schools, early learning services and family services, and practise it with ready-made scripts for common moments. You will set up a calm-down corner, teach simple calming skills, and use a daily mood tracker to spot what sets off big feelings in your family.
This is parenting education, not therapy or diagnosis. It also explains the signs that mean a child may need more support, and who to contact, such as your GP, Well Child Tamariki Ora nurse (such as your Plunket nurse), public health nurse or your child's school, and free helplines such as 1737 and Youthline.
Course modules
6 modules-
1Understanding big feelings
Why children have big feelings, what is typical at different ages, and the everyday triggers that make meltdowns more likely.
- All feelings are allowed, not all behaviour
- What is typical at different ages
- Why meltdowns happen: the usual triggers
Daily Mood Tracker
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2Naming feelings
How to build your child's feelings vocabulary, use a feelings chart and body clues, and talk about emotions through stories, play and everyday moments.
- Building a feelings vocabulary
- Using a feelings chart and body clues
- Stories, play and everyday chats
Feelings Chart for Children
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3Emotion coaching
The five steps of emotion coaching, how to show empathy while still setting firm limits, and ready-made scripts for common moments.
- What emotion coaching is
- Empathy with limits: validating without giving in
- Scripts for everyday moments
Emotion Coaching Scripts
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4Calming down together
How your own calm helps your child calm down, how to set up a calm-down corner that is not a punishment, and simple calming skills children can learn.
- Your calm first: helping your child settle
- Setting up a calm-down corner
- Calming tools children can learn
Calm-Down Corner ChecklistBalloon Breathing for Parent and ChildFeelings Chart for Children
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5Everyday foundations
How sleep, food, activity, routines and screen time affect children's moods, and how to support children through big changes.
- Sleep, food and movement
- Routines, transitions and screens
- Helping children through big changes
Daily Mood TrackerEmotion Coaching Scripts
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6Patterns, repair and getting support
Use your mood tracker to spot patterns, repair things after a difficult moment, look after yourself, and know when and where to get extra help.
- Spotting patterns with a mood tracker
- Repair, and looking after yourself
- When to get extra help
Daily Mood TrackerEmotion Coaching Scripts
Tools included
Saved to your account, downloadable as PDF- CardsFeelings Chart for ChildrenPrintable feelings cards that help children name what they feel, notice body clues and choose something that helps.
- CheckerCalm-Down Corner ChecklistCheck you have set up a calm-down corner that your child will actually use, and that it is a place of support, not punishment.
- CardsEmotion Coaching ScriptsReady-to-use words for common big-feeling moments, following the five steps of emotion coaching.
- TrackerDaily Mood TrackerRecord your child's mood, big-feeling moments, triggers and what helped each day for 4 weeks, to spot patterns.
- Guided audioBalloon Breathing for Parent and ChildA short guided calming script to listen to together, to practise slow breathing when you are both calm so you can use it in harder moments.
Who this course is for
- Parents and carers of children aged roughly 2 to 12
- Families dealing with frequent tantrums, angry outbursts or worries
- Grandparents, step-parents and other relatives who care for children
- Parents who want to respond differently from how they were raised
- Anyone who wants calmer days at home
Check with a health professional first if
- If you are worried about your child's development, behaviour or mental health, talk to your GP, Well Child Tamariki Ora nurse (under-5s) or public health nurse. This course can be used alongside their advice but does not replace it.
- If your child already has support from a child and adolescent mental health service, a paediatrician or a learning support team, keep following their plan and share what you learn here with them.
- If you are worried that a child is being harmed or is at risk of harming themselves or others, do not wait for this course. Use the 'When to get help' section straight away.
Your certificate
Answer at least 7 of the 10 final questions correctly and your certificate is ready to download straight away, with your name, the course and a verification ID anyone can check.
A certificate of completion shows you finished a general education course. It is not a professional qualification.
Certificate of completion
Your name
Helping Children Manage Emotions, 6 modules, completed 6 October 2026
Dr Aqsa Mukhtiar, PhD in Nutrition
Course authorID MNC-4K7Q-2Z9P
Verify at mynutricare.co.uk
Course authorID MNC-4K7Q-2Z9P
Verify at mynutricare.co.uk
Questions about this course
What age is this course for?
It is written for parents and carers of children aged roughly 2 to 12, with tips for each age. The same ideas also work with teenagers, adapted to their age.
Is emotion coaching just letting children do what they want?
No. Emotion coaching accepts the feeling but sets clear, firm limits on behaviour. Module 3 shows how to combine empathy with limits.
Can this course help if my child has autism or ADHD?
The everyday skills in this course can be useful for many children, but it is not a treatment for any condition. If your child has, or you think they may have, additional needs, talk to your GP, Well Child Tamariki Ora nurse or your child's school learning support coordinator about specialist support and share what you learn here with them.
When should I worry about my child's feelings?
Module 6 lists the signs that mean it is time to talk to someone, such as low or anxious moods most days for more than a couple of weeks, or feelings stopping everyday life. If you are ever worried about your child's safety, use the urgent help section straight away.
What do I get with this course?
6 modules with 18 short lessons (about 2 hours in total) and 5 interactive tools, including the Feelings Chart for Children, Calm-Down Corner Checklist and Emotion Coaching Scripts, for a one-off NZ$29.99 (GST included). Your tool results save to My Progress. A 10-question final check ends the course; score 7 or more for your certificate of completion. Written by Dr Aqsa Mukhtiar, PhD in Nutrition.