Words Can Help Manage Emotions: Using Research-Based Strategies for Vocabulary Instruction to Teach Emotion Words to Young Children

One of the key objectives of childhood education is to build empathy and understanding in students. Young children with the ability to comprehend and regulate their own emotions—and empathize with the emotions and experiences of others—go on to achieve greater learning outcomes and more positive relationships than children who do not develop these skills. Global citizenship education, which is being touted around the world as critical to a positive human future, emphasizes the role of empathy and compassion in students\u27 leadership and decision-making. However, respect for and public display of emotions varies widely across cultures. In cultures known as “low-context” (i.e., Germany, U.K.), emotions are deemphasized in decision making and public life, whereas “high-context” cultures, as in Japan and Egypt, consider emotions to be an important part of all interactions. In this article, the authors present research on emotion words and emotional literacy for children and provide suggestions for practical application