The demand for tools and strategies that facilitate children’s emotional development is growing in the social and academic environment. It is extremely important to teach children to develop their emotional reasoning and to channel their emotions so that they learn to control them and to be empathetic with those around them. Therefore, we can say that emotional education in children is an essential part in the formation and development of their social skills. If you want to know what it is, what it is for and how to develop emotional intelligence in children, we tell you in this post. Learn how to promote emotional education through games and activities.
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What is emotional intelligence and what is it for?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to know and manage emotions, both our own and those of others, to be able to think and act based on this knowledge. Emotions will determine the way we face life, they can turn us into integrated and happy people or excluded and sad ones. Therein lies the importance of knowing how to understand and manage them. This ability can be educated and enhanced, although it is easier in children than in adults, so it is easier to raise an emotionally intelligent child and prepare him for the future. Emotional intelligence indicators have led to a greater capacity of people to enjoy the life they have, even with better health.
Emotional intelligence in children
Childhood is considered the stage in which it is easier to acquire knowledge and values, so it is the crucial time to enhance the emotional intelligence of children, for whom it can be very difficult to control their emotions . This is conditioned by the type of education acquired.
The reactions of irascibility and irritation in children are very harmful and will lead to a limitation in relationships with others and even health problems, because these negative emotions lead to a decrease in defenses. Therefore, emotional education is very important for children so that they know how to understand and control their emotions, which can lead to an increase in motivation and help them achieve their goals.
How to work on children’s emotional intelligence
There are many factors that are fundamental to develop children’s emotional intelligence. The application of all of them will provide children with the tools they need to manage their feelings and achieve greater self-confidence, that is to say, they will increase their self-esteem and therefore their relationship with others. Let’s start with some key points that we must take into account to develop emotional capacity.
Enhancing emotional intelligence in adults
It is very difficult to try to transmit to children something that we do not have ourselves, so it is essential to begin by knowing how to recognize and manage our emotions. Our behavior models that of the little ones, so their behavior is based on what they learn from observing us.
Emotional development of the child
Through games and activities, we will help them identify their feelings and get in touch with their inner world to manage their emotions and thoughts. We will see this point in more detail later on.
Taking care of the environment and relationships
Creating an environment in which children can express themselves and communicate comfortably, without harming others, is essential for their emotional development.
Developing emotional intelligence
As we have already mentioned, emotions are a key aspect of our lives, so knowing how to manage them will allow us to face our reality in a more efficient way. For this reason, it is essential to raise children with emotional intelligence prepared for the future.
How to develop emotional intelligence? We show you eight basic principles of emotional education to familiarize them with this field.
Recognize basic emotions
It is very important to start with the recognition of emotions such as fear, joy, sadness and anger, which are basic for the child’s development.
Controlling your anger
From an early age they begin to develop anger, so it is necessary that they know how to channel their reactions. To do this, we will have to limit these behaviors and offer a message of reasoning and control.
Knowing and naming emotions
From a certain age it is very important that they know how to name their emotions in a natural way.
Coping with emotions
Teaching them to cope with some emotions that can overcome them through examples will simplify their assimilation of the concepts. Let them learn to express their feelings instead of yelling and breaking things.
Developing empathy
This will require us to reason with them using thought-provoking questions. This is where communication comes in. It is essential to know how to talk to children in an assertive way, an essential factor in education.
Learning to listen
From an early age we must teach them to listen quietly and attentively, active listening. It is important to talk to them slowly and make sure they understand what we are saying.
Knowing how to dialogue
The importance of debating, dialoguing, agreeing and reaching agreements will be very useful in their daily lives. To foster this capacity for dialogue we will have to use the family and the school as a learning field.
Expressing emotions
For them to truly develop their emotional intelligence, they must feel that they are in an environment that allows them to express their emotions comfortably and with the necessary confidence.
Activities to learn to recognize and name emotions
To achieve this development of intelligence in the little ones we will have to resort to a series of games and activities that will encourage the absorption of knowledge in a fun way. Here are some activities that are widely used for this purpose:
- Create a dictionary of emotions: With various photographs of people expressing emotions, children identify and classify them.
- Music, painting and emotions: Based on different pieces of music, we let them paint what inspires them.
- To make little theaters of emotions: Acting out stories where emotions appear.
- Read emotional stories: With appropriate books, they can be a great ally. We will ask questions about the child’s experience and invite him/her to reflect.
- Mimic emotions: Acting out different emotions for the rest to guess.
Another activity that is very simple and useful is to ask the children what happened to them during the day: something good that happened to them, something bad, who they helped or what they would change about that day. The purpose is for the child to identify their experiences in order to strengthen their self-knowledge and self-confidence, while creating a relationship of trust in which they can share their concerns, feelings and experiences in general. Now that we know more about the concept of emotional intelligence and its importance in the life of any person, we ask ourselves the following question: do I want my child to be prepared to face the future and the social relationships that make up our environment? Take a look at the options that we offer you of emotional intelligence classes and prepare your child in their free time while having fun at the same time.
