Helping Kids Handle Emotions Biblically: What Every Parent Needs to Know
Mar 28, 2025Your Child’s Big Emotions Aren’t the Problem—Here’s How to Help
Your child is having a hard time handling their emotions, and you want nothing more than to help them.
Maybe they’re crying over something small, throwing a tantrum, or completely shutting down.
And as a parent, you feel stuck between wanting to validate their feelings and needing to set boundaries.
But—kids don’t automatically know how to regulate emotions.
Watch on YouTube or listen on Raising Faithful Families podcast.
Emotional intelligence isn’t something they’re born with—it’s a skill that has to be taught, modeled, and reinforced over time.
And if we don’t teach them?
They’ll default to what they see in the world—suppressing, lashing out, or looking for validation in the wrong places.
In this blog, we’ll walk through:
✔ The difference between suppressing emotions vs. managing them biblically.
✔ Practical ways to help kids name, express, and process their feelings.
✔ Bible verses to use when teaching emotional regulation.
If you’re also struggling with staying calm when your child is emotional, I want to invite you to my FREE 5-Day Challenge to Stop Yelling at Your Kids!
👉 Join the challenge here: [📢 The 5-Day No More Yelling Challenge]
Let’s dive in!
The Difference Between Suppressing & Managing Emotions
Many of us grew up hearing things like:
❌ “Stop crying, you’re fine.”
❌ “Calm down. It’s not a big deal.”
❌ “Go to your room and stay there until you can act right.”
Or worse, the age-old “Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.”
But the problem with these phrases?
They don’t help kids manage emotions—they teach them to suppress them.
Here’s the difference:
🔹 Suppressing emotions = Pushing feelings down, ignoring them, or pretending they don’t exist.
🔹 Managing emotions = Recognizing feelings, understanding them, and responding in a way that honors God.
Emotions themselves aren’t bad—we see deep emotions in scripture, like anger, grief, and frustration.
But how we handle them matters.
Biblical Encouragement:
📖 Ecclesiastes 3:4 – “A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
Emotions have a place in our lives—but we must teach our kids how to process them in a way that reflects self-control and faith.
Practical Ways to Help Kids Name, Express, and Process Emotions
So how do we do this?
How do we teach our kids to manage emotions instead of stuffing them down or letting them explode?
Here are three key steps to help your child recognize, express, and handle emotions biblically.
1️⃣ Teach Them to NAME Their Feelings
Before kids can manage emotions, they need to identify them.
💡 Try this:
- Use emotion words often: “You look frustrated. Is something bothering you?”
- Teach them a feelings chart to visually identify what they’re experiencing.
- Remind them: ALL emotions are okay—but not all reactions are.
📖 Biblical Encouragement: Proverbs 4:7 – “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
Understanding emotions is part of wisdom—and you can guide your kids in that process!
2️⃣ Help Them EXPRESS Feelings in a Healthy Way
Once kids know what they’re feeling, they need healthy ways to release it.
💡 Try this:
- Encourage talking it out instead of bottling it up.
- Give physical outlets for frustration—deep breaths, movement, squeezing a stress ball.
- Offer a "cool-down space" that isn’t punishment, just a place to reset.
📖 Biblical Encouragement: Ephesians 4:26 – “In your anger do not sin.”
We can teach our kids that having emotions isn’t wrong—but how they handle them matters.
3️⃣ Model & Reinforce Self-Control
Your kids will learn more from watching you than from what you say.
💡 Try this:
- Narrate your own emotions: “I'm feeling overwhelmed, so I’m going to take a deep breath before responding.”
- Acknowledge their emotions without dismissing them: “I see that you're upset. It's okay to feel sad.”
- Praise self-control when you see it: “You took a deep breath before responding—I love how you’re handling your emotions!”
📖 Biblical Encouragement: Galatians 5:22-23 – The fruit of the Spirit includes self-control.
We can’t expect self-control from our kids if we aren’t modeling it ourselves.
Bible Verses to Teach Kids About Emotions
Here are a few powerful Bible verses to help kids navigate emotions with faith:
📖 Psalm 56:3 – “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
📖 Proverbs 29:11 – “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.”
📖 Colossians 3:12 – “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”
Try memorizing these verses together or using them during tough emotional moments!
💬 Free 5-Day Challenge: Stop Yelling at Your Kids
If you struggle with staying calm while your child is emotional, I want to invite you to my FREE 5-Day Challenge to Stop Yelling at Your Kids!
I’ll walk you through:
✔ Understanding your own emotional reactions.
✔ Practical strategies to help regulate the emotions in your household.
✔ Biblical encouragement to shift from reacting to responding.
💛 Join the challenge here: [📢 The 5-Day No More Yelling Challenge]
Emotions Are God-Given—Let’s Teach Our Kids How to Handle Them
If you’ve ever felt lost on how to help your child process emotions, you’re not alone.
But here’s what I want you to remember:
💛 Your child is still learning.
💛 You are still learning.
💛 With patience, grace, and God’s wisdom, you can teach your kids to handle emotions in a way that honors Him.
Let’s continue the conversation:
💬 What’s one way you help your child manage emotions biblically? Reach out on Instagram to let me know!
Until next time—take care and God bless!
Author
Katy Bordeaux is a Certified Parenting & Family Coach and the founder of both Covenant Collections and Kingdom Purpose Moms. Passionate about guiding families to thrive, Katy combines biblical wisdom with practical parenting strategies to help parents build strong, faith-filled homes. Connect with her for more resources and support on your parenting journey.
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