Help Children Understand Emotions

The movie Inside Out follows the main character, Riley, as she grows through out her childhood.  It begins with her birth and the appearance of her first emotion as her parents bond with her.The first emotion that we see Riley experience is Joy. As Riley begins to have other experiences, other emotions begin to appear. The real trouble ensues when Riley's parents move her away from her friends, her school and her hockey team. 

Throughout the movie we see different emotions take the lead and run the show.  The movie explains why emotions are important.  However, Sadness is often misunderstood and pushed away, as it is in life.  The other emotions have a difficult time seeing her value, as we sometimes do.  By the end of the movie, we begin to see why Sadness is needed and must be allowed to run the show at times. 

This is a great movie to show kids various emotions and help them understand how their behavior changes depending on which emotion is running the show.  The movie is clear and easy to understand.  It is a great way to help kids expand their emotional vocabulary and understand emotions. 

At one point Riley goes against her core beliefs and we see the damage that is caused inside. This could be a great conversation starter to delve deeper into what your family's and child's core values are.  This concept is important in helping children to be true to themselves. When we go against core beliefs we all experience cognitive dissonance. This can cause depression, anxiety and acting out behaviors for kids. 

 believe this movie would be a benefit for those children that have social deficits/behavioral issues, such as children that have autism, ADHD or impulse control issues.  It is definitely a movie that I believe a wide range of children will be able to connect to. 

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Parents can use movies to help children learn valuable lessons. Think outside the box  when watching movies together! 
~Sheryl A. Isaacs