One of the joys of being a parent is witnessing the moments our little ones discover their emotions – the things that make them smile, laugh and cry.

However, even as they learn to talk, the ability to express those emotions is not so easy. This is often why we deal with tantrums and meltdowns. But adults can help their children develop healthy habits around feelings and mental health before they start school.

One simple way to talk about feelings with your child is through storytime. Laura Henry-Allain, storyteller, former early years teacher and the inspiration behind JoJo & Gran Gran, has teamed up with children’s mental health charity Anna Freud to create a free storybook for this exact purpose.

We spoke to Laura, alongside Anna Freud’s Dr Abi Miranda, about what children can learn from the book Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad and how a little detective work and chat can help your little one live a mentally healthy life.

Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad

In Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad, we meet Jackson, a ‘fizzy, whizzy’ three-year-old. One day he isn’t feeling fizzy or whizzy and his teacher Bilal, along with Jackson’s friends Fatima and Nathan, set out to discover why.

Jackson simply doesn’t know why he isn’t feeling his usual self, so Bilal, Fatima and Nathan help him put words to his feelings.

For Laura Henry-Allain, the hope is that Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad will help children know that their feelings matter and that they can express them to adults.

“Children in their early years do have a wide range of feelings,” Laura says. “We need to have more conversations around children’s mental health with teachers and parents.

“We’re giving children the tools to label their feelings and have these discussions. So they go on to school and not see it as a taboo that they feel sad or anxious.”

Dr Abi Miranda, alongside psychotherapist Claudia Coussins, wrote the adult’s guide to Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad, which offers advice around supporting early years mental health.

“We wanted something that was easy to understand, that could help empower parents and early years workers to have these conversations with young children in a developmentally appropriate way,” Abi says.

Abi explains that telling stories about feelings helps to normalise different emotions and how they “come and go. Not just looking when there are issues, but developing a positive state of wellbeing.”