Many people will have regular anger explosions but do not recognize the underlying issues driving their emotions. This is often due to expressing different emotions as anger. This can happen for many reasons, but one obvious reason is that anger tends to be more socially acceptable than other ways of expressing emotions. Additionally, people often feel vulnerable to express their emotions transparently.
I have found that littles usually have a tough time understanding that there may be other feelings behind their anger outbursts. When I saw the Let's Go Fishing game at Walmart, I thought it was the perfect way to help children recognize primary emotions. I spent less than $7 on this game, and it was simple to set up.
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I wrote primary feelings on the bottom of each of the fish. The kids will use the fishing poles to catch the fish. When all the fish are out, you discuss the emotions listed on the fish. The kids can talk about times they felt that particular emotion, or why it could present as anger. For children with short attention spans, you may choose to discuss only the emotions you believe are relevant, as they may lose interest quickly. Several of my kiddos started putting the fish back in the pool before I could read them!
I would recommend helping children develop an emotional vocabulary through playing games such as Feelings Candy Land to provide a foundation to build from with this game.
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