“I just want them to tell me how they feel.” As early childhood SLPs, we hear this all the time—and while that goal is absolutely valid, the path to emotional expression is often much more complex than caregivers realize. This caregiver-friendly handout was created to help families understand that talking about emotions is a higher-level communication skill built on many foundational developmental milestones. Before a child can say “I feel frustrated” or explain why they are upset, they need