One may question the importance of unlocking Emotional Intelligence in children. Why is emotional intelligence given so much importance in the growth and development of a child? How will it help my child become a successful person and prepare them to face challenges in life? How can you cultivate emotional intelligence in your child? If these questions keep hovering over your mind, you are at the right place. In this article, we will try to answer these questions and make you understand the importance of unlocking your child’s emotional intelligence in a simple and fuss-free manner.
Activities To Promote Emotional Intelligence In Kids
Emotional Awareness/Acknowledge Emotions
The first thing you as a parent or educator need to understand is that you must make your kids understand the importance of acknowledging their emotions. You can help kids understand feelings like anger, happiness, sadness, and more. If your child is upset about something, you should ask them the reason for the same.
Find the Reason/Source of Emotions
Help your child in finding the reason behind how they are feeling. You can become your child’s therapist and help them understand the source of their emotions. This way, you can lend them a helping hand in knowing from where and why did the particular emotion stem up.
Knowledge about different Types of Emotions
Make kids understand what emotions are and the different types of emotions. Parents and educators need to make kids understand the types of emotions viz, happy, sad, angry, crying, disappointment, anxiety, etc. First, kids should be asked taught about simple emotions and then proceed further with a bit more complex ones.
Encourage Kids to Express their emotions
Parents need to encourage kids to talk about their emotions and not scold them for the way they are feeling. For example, if your child has got indulged in a fight with a classmate, talk to your child openly about it and allow them to speak their heart out. Listening carefully and then telling them where they were wrong in a very subtle and polite manner will give them the confidence that they can come and share their emotions with you.
If your kid is expressing any emotion and you are reacting to it by either getting annoyed or angry, you are creating a big problem for yourself and your child. Create a safe zone for kids so that they don’t fear coming to you and talking about their emotions. You should be a person they can be friends with, and they have a feeling of being in their comfort zone.
Regulating the Emotions
Once the kids know about the various types of emotions and how they can express their feelings, it is imperative to regulate those emotions. Mere identifying the emotions and talking about them would not work until these emotions are regulated properly. Kids need to understand how to regulate their emotions. Rather than wasting time over why they feel a particular way, they should understand how to regulate their emotions. Parents can lend them a helping hand in doing so.
When complemented with intellect and experience, emotional intelligence leads to success, and cultivating emotional Intelligence in kids is not going to be a smooth process, but this must be done from a very young age. Also, there is no need to rush and take things as they come and make your child ready to face emotional hurdles and succeed in different spheres of life by handling the emotions well. You can also go for various kits from LearningBix that are designed to cater to the needs of the kids and develop emotional intelligence in them.
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