Helping Little Ones Handle Big Feelings the Nordic Way
- Growing Up Nordic

- Dec 22, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 22
In the Nordics, there is a cultural understanding that children are full citizens with valid emotions. Just as the weather changes from storm to stillness, so does a child’s internal landscape. The goal of parenting is not to stop the storm, but to help the child weather it.
"Emotional Regulation" is a buzzword, but in practice, it is simply the ability to return to a state of calm. Winter, with its long hours indoors, can often intensify these big feelings. Here is how to navigate emotional waves using Nordic principles of connection and sensory grounding.
Name It to Tame It
A child cannot manage what they cannot understand. When a tantrum rises, the instinct is often to hush it. However, the Nordic approach leans into validation.
The Pause: Before correcting behavior, acknowledge the emotion. "You are frustrated the tower fell."
Visual Aids: Because the logical brain goes offline during high emotion, visual tools are powerful. Using a "Feelings Wheel" or simple illustrations helps a child point to their experience when words fail.
Sensory Regulation: The Body Leads the Mind
Often, a child is not "being difficult"; they are dysregulated. Their nervous system is overwhelmed. Talking rarely helps in these moments. Sensory input does.
Heavy Work: Pushing a wall, carrying a stack of books, or kneading dough provides proprioceptive input that grounds the body.
Temperature: A change in temperature can reset the vagus nerve. Stepping outside into the cold air for ten seconds, or washing hands in warm water, can break the cycle of a meltdown.
The Kitchen: Cooking is a sensory masterclass. Smelling spices, kneading dough, or stirring soup engages all senses and brings the focus back to the present moment.

The Art of Repair
No parent is calm 100% of the time. The strength of the relationship is not built in perfection, but in repair. Returning to the child after a difficult moment to say, "I am sorry I shouted. Let us try again," models the very regulation skills we wish to teach.
A quiet invitation
To live in closer rhythm with the season, explore our current Seasonal PlayBook.
A collection of low-prep, sensory-rich invitations to play; created to help you pause, connect, and gently inhabit the days, whatever the weather holds.

