HALT

Consider telling a personal story or (with permission) a story of a young child who falls apart emotionally when they are tired or hungry. The common acronym HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, tired) is a helpful reminder about how we need to meet these needs to deal with an outburst (this helps adults too!). Another option, especially in a multigenerational congregation, might be to read the children’s picture book Llama, Llama, Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney. In this story, the young llama, overstimulated and worn out by a shopping trip with Mama, throws a fit in the store. She helps him work through his challenging emotions, and they clean up together. When they’re done, they go to get ice cream.