15 Phrases and Approaches Every Parent Can Use to Cheer Up a Sad Child

While you don't want your children to stay sad or continue to hurt, it's necessary to validate pain and sadness just as much as we validate happiness and success. "Rescuing them by immediately trying to cheer them up is rarely the best thing to do," Dr. Westers explains.

The best way to cheer up a sad child is to help them work through their sadness. And when you tell your child that it's OK to be sad or angry, it gives them a platform to open up to you and work through whatever is bothering them.

Sometimes just hearing the word "understand" can help your child deal with the difficulty of whatever it is they're facing and know that they're not alone.

Talk about how you handle your emotions, or share a story about a time you felt similar emotions. This can be a great opportunity to bond with your child, as well.

Take the time to really listen and hear what it is they're going through. But Dr. Westers also cautions to "be OK if your child is unable to articulate what's bother them. Remember, listening is often the 'fix' when fixing doesn't fix."

The truth is we don't always know EXACTLY how our child feels, so saying you do can cause them to shut down. Being truthful by saying you don't know how they feel, but you still hear what they're saying, is a great way to show them you are truly listening. "Parents can repeat back to the child what they hear and check in with their child for accuracy," continues Dr. Westers. "This will help you make sure the parent truly is hearing what they're saying."

Empathy can go a long way when helping your child navigate through their emotions. When you show your child that you understand their feelings and share in their pain, it can help alleviate the burden of what they're feeling. This doesn't give them the impression that you'll fix everything for them, but it shows you're willing to embrace their feelings with them.

When you're empathetic with your child, you teach them to be empathetic to others. This will help them metabolize sadness as they get older and help those around them tolerate their own distress.

This is a perfect way to give your child the sympathy they need to embrace their emotions, and the compassion they need to work through them. It's an excellent demonstration of balance, and can be a great resource for your child.

Dr. Westers suggests this to make sure our children don't avoid their emotions: "When we immediately rescue them from difficult emotions, you run the risk of impairing their ability to learn to experience and process natural emotions in a healthy way."

Once you validate your child's feelings and give them time to sit in their sadness or distress, it's time to help them overcome it as much as they will let you. Ask them how you can help them make it better. Let them understand that you want to help them, but are willing to wait until they're ready.

This is certainly not a direct solution, but it can be helpful. Remember, sometimes children have a hard time even figuring out what makes them sad. In those cases, doing something they like may make them feel better and it can give you a chance to talk.

But even if you do decide to do something fun to distract your child from their sadness, you should always use it as a chance to talk. Once they start to work through their feelings of sadness or distress, they may be able to step back and put into words what was bothering them and why.

Sometimes children struggle with the fact that they feel two very different emotions at once. They may be sad about whatever is bothering them and happy that you take the time to help them through it. Let them know that this is totally OK and normal.

It's important for children to know that, no matter what they're feeling, it will never change how you feel about them.