Additional information
notebook options | notebook only, plus Share how I feel tag |
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£12.50 – £15.50
When Tom was younger it was difficult for me to know what his feelings meant. It was also difficult for him to pick up clues about how I was feeling.
Although Tom feels the same thing as everyone else, the nuances can be blurred. His feelings are much more intense and can be harder to distinguish. Feeling sadness could lead to him crying but also to laugh or shout for no good reason. He has difficulty interpreting gestures and expressions – often thinking I’m angry when I’m not!
With his SLT, we created a book of feelings to help Tom understand his own and other people’s feelings. We used this book to teach him the words he needed to express and recognise different feelings.
Helping him to identify the size of his feelings and relate this to his physical reaction was also important. Often, a little feeling could grow into a gigantic feeling. Tom could spend hours, days, even weeks catastrophising. Churning over thoughts and feelings in his mind like a sticky record.
Teaching and modelling simple self-help strategies like taking deep breaths, listening to music and self-talk (phrases Tom could say to himself when he was feeling worried) helped.
Our experience led to the development of this TomTag Feelings Notebook. A handy A5-size notebook that you, your child and their teachers can use to keep a record or diary of feelings, anxieties, worries or behaviour.
Additional sticker sheets available to purchase separately
Discounted offer
View the video – how to use your TomTag Feelings
“As to the emotions diary, Jack is finding this very helpful. He’s just turned 9 and has been struggling with pre-pubescent moods for a while on top of his Dyspraxia mood swings. The diary has been helpful for looking back at difficult days and reflecting on what we did to deal with things.
I’m encouraging him to use it regularly and was pleased the other day when he put in his first – super happy entry as it was his birthday. I’ve told him the diary is for him but so far he has been happy to share his entries with me so we can sit and talk about them – which has been really good for us as a family.”
notebook options | notebook only, plus Share how I feel tag |
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