Screen Time

devices may lead to more problems with emotional reactivity down the road. There are two problems with distracting with media: it takes away an opportunity to teach the child about how to [blank] to difficult emotions, and it can reinforce that big displays of their difficult emotions are effective ways to get what they want. Instead of punishing their expressions of frustration, anger, or sadness with a time-out, it can be a good idea to [blank] a comfy place for kids to collect their feelings -- maybe something with beanbags or blankets, or a tent. But sometimes talking about emotions is too abstract for preschool-age kids, and in those cases, Radesky recommended using color zones to talk [blank] emotions. Calm and content can be green; worried or agitated can be yellow; and upset or angry can be red, using graphics or images of faces to help kids match what they're feeling with what color zone they are in.