S5 E1 Understanding Problems – Identifying the emotions behind a problem

We all face tricky moments—whether it's losing something special, feeling left out, or having a disagreement. In this first episode of  Mindful Moments with Miss Harrison 's emotional problem-solving series, children learn that the first step to solving any problem is understanding how they feel  .  

Through Emily and the Missing Paintbrush  , reflection questions, and practical strategies, kids will learn:  
✔️ How to recognise the emotion behind a problem   🎨  
✔️ Why pausing and naming feelings   helps us think more clearly 💡  
✔️ Simple steps to solve everyday challenges calmly and thoughtfully   🛠️  
✔️ A fun problem-solving practice   with real-life scenarios 🧩  

📖 Storytime  : Emily reacts with frustration when her new paintbrush goes missing—until she learns to pause, name her emotions, and find a peaceful solution. 🖌️  

✨ Challenge  : This week, when you face a problem, try asking yourself:  
  What happened? How do I feel? What can I do to make it better?    

🎯 Perfect for Kids, Parents & Educators!
This episode builds emotional intelligence, empathy, and positive problem-solving habits  , helping children feel more confident and in control   during life’s everyday challenges.  

🔔 Subscribe now   to  Mindful Moments with Miss Harrison  and help kids learn to solve problems the mindful way—by understanding their feelings first!   🌟  

#MindfulMoments #EmotionalProblemSolving #KidsEmotions #MindfulnessForKids #ProblemSolvingSkills #EmotionalAwareness #ParentingTips #CalmChoices #KidsMentalHealth #EmotionalWellbeing

Transcript

Hello everyone and welcome back to Mindful Moments with Miss Harrison. I'm Miss Harrison and I'm so happy you're here for a brand new series all about emotional problem solving. We all face problems from time to time, maybe a disagreement with a friend, a tricky situation at school or a moment where things just don't go as planned. But did you know that understanding our emotions can help us find better solutions? By the end of this episode you'll know how to recognize emotions behind a problem so that you can solve it in a calm and thoughtful way. 

Let's get started. Life is full of little problems. Maybe your tower of blocks falls down, you lose something important or you feel left out at playtime. When something goes wrong our emotions are often the first thing we notice. Maybe we feel frustrated, upset or even confused but before we react we can take a moment to understand what's really happening inside us. The first step to solving any problem is to ask, what happened? How do I feel about it? And what can I do to make it better? Now, let's hear how one girl learned to understand her emotions before solving a problem. Emily loved painting, and today at school she was excited to use her brand new paintbrush. But when she reached for it, it was gone. She felt her face get hot and her hands clench into fists. Who took my brush? she shouted. Her teacher noticed her frustration. Emily, she said gently, take a deep breath and tell me what happened. Emily took a deep breath and said, I'm upset because I can't find my paintbrush." Her teacher nodded. So your problem is that your paintbrush is missing and your feeling is frustration. Emily paused. Yeah I guess I feel frustrated and a little bit sad. Once she understood her emotions, Emily was able to think clearly instead of getting upset. So she calmly asked her classmates if they had seen her paintbrush and guess what her friend Ava had accidentally taken it thinking it was hers. Emily got her brush back and the problem was solved without any big arguments. What do you think Emily learned about understanding her emotions and her problems? Just like Emily we can

all learn to understand our emotions before solving a problem. Here's how. First we pause and notice. Take a deep breath before reacting. What's actually happened? Next name your feeling. Are you angry, sad, frustrated or confused? Naming your emotion helps you think clearly. Finally we'll ask ourself, do I need a break? Do I need to ask for help or to find another solution? When we pause and understand our emotions first, we can make better choices and solve problems more calmly. Which step do you think would help the most? Let's practice understanding a problem together. Imagine these situations and ask yourself, what happened, how do I feel and what can I do to solve it? The first situation is you can't find your favourite toy. How do you feel and what do you do? Good job. Next, your friend didn't want to play the game you wanted to play. What's your emotion and how can you solve that problem? And finally you made a mistake on your drawing and it doesn't look how you wanted it to. What can you do? 

Great job, you're already practicing mindful problem solving. You've done an amazing job today learning about understanding your problems. Remember the first step to solving a problem is pausing, noticing your emotions and thinking about what you need. Here's your mindful moment challenge. The next time you have a problem stop and ask yourself what happened, how do

I feel and what can I do to make it better? Next time on Mindful Moments with Miss Harrison, we'll talk about big problems versus small problems, learning when to let things go and when to ask for help. I can't wait to see you then. Thank you for joining me today.

Keep noticing, keep problem solving, and as always, keep shining. and as always, keep shining.

And as always, keep shining.