Emotional intelligence has been and will be around for years. The importance of the same is increasingly coming into public awareness. The narrative insists on how crucial it is to teach a child the same at a young age if they are to become emotionally healthy. Babies in their early stages of life learn through observation, but there are things that, when they are much older, parents can do to further their children’s emotional vocabulary. While these ideas are not exhaustive, it sets the foundation for further reading.
Reading emotions
Our faces tend to react in the same way across the ranges of human emotions. The way then is to show children various facial expressions and ask them to guess the feeling. There are materials, and yourself too, that display the range. You can also use different shows on television. It does not have to be cartoons, even a men’s barber shop Toronto show will work. When done enough times, they will be able to read other people’s emotions better.
Labeling their emotions
As you notice emotional changes in your child, you can ask them to name what they are feeling. If possible, you can do so in front of a mirror to allow them to make associations with the facial expressions they say with theirs. They might not get it at first but pointing out will make them aware of the emotions. Labeling the emotion becomes more natural, and they are perhaps then able to empathize with others. That is because they have a reference point of what the other person might be feeling.
Talk about emotions
Showing anger toward an angry child is counterproductive as it doesn’t help them label emotions as positive or negative. When they are angry or sad, ask them how you can make it better to indicate to them that there are should aim to keep their emotions positive. In the same way, ask them to talk about the feelings the experienced throughout the day and those of other children as well. It’ll better equip them to help others in the future.
Conclusion: make it fun too
Even in raising well-rounded children, don’t forget their age. Make it fun using props and music that will help imprint the information in their minds. It shouldn’t appear forceful. That means that as a parent one needs to develop an awareness of their emotions and work toward managing them. It is not what you say that sticks with children; it is what you do.
