6 Tips To Raise An Emotionally Intelligent Child

Emotional Intelligence or EQ is defined as a person's ability to express and manage feelings appropriately while respecting the feelings of others. It is a set of skills that children can begin to learn at any age. There are benefits of building emotional intelligence in a child from a young age.

Parents are responsible for building up good emotional intelligence in children from a young age to a large extent that helps them grow up as compassionate citizens of the earth.

The benefits of building emotional intelligence from a young age are many, like:

• Higher rates of success during adulthood
• Better relationships
• Better performance in academics
• Improved mental health and fewer chances of depression in the future

The critical factor that plays a significant role in building emotional intelligence in children is to let them express what they feel. Unfortunately, our children miss out a lot in a society in which IQ is valued far more than EQ and lacks emotional literacy. As a result, they are often in darkness when expressing their feelings. The Emotional intelligence training for kids helps parents who want to help their children work on their emotional intelligence. All children can learn emotional intelligence and positively manage their emotions themselves. However, adults have to support and guide them.

 

6 Tips to Build An Emotionally Intelligent Child

• Help your Child Recognise the Feelings
• Validate their Feelings and Show Empathy
• Be an Effective Role Model for your Child
• Help Them Regulate their Feelings by Teaching Healthy Coping Skills
• Train Children To Fix Or Solve The Problem Themselves
• Render Your Ongoing Support and Guidance and Make it an Ongoing Goal
• Help your Child Recognise the Feelings

Help build your Child an emotional vocabulary for them to express their feelings. Children need to know what they feel rather than being confused and frustrated thinking about what they think is good or bad. They need to express their feelings through words. To do this, you can help your child recognise their feelings. You can help your Child by asking them, "are you upset?", "angry", "sad", etc., by looking at their expressions. Please don't forget to name the positive emotions also like "happy", "funny", "excited" etc.

• Validate their Feelings and Show Empathy

Dismissive comments can give your Child what they feel is wrong. There is nothing wrong with any emotion or feeling but the ways of expressing them. Usages like "I too feel the same when" can be helpful. Validate the sense as far as you can and show empathy towards them. Children learn by seeing and how they can learn to show kindness to others when they don't feel it in their minds and bodies. When children feel that you understand them inside, they become less prone to express them compellingly. They feel better when you make them know that you already know what they think.

• Be an Effective Role Model for your Child

The best way to teach children to express their feelings is by modelling yourself in front of them. Use the names of feelings in your everyday conversations. Sentences like "I am sad" or drawing a sad face are effective ways of expressing emotion positively rather than throwing tantrums and crying loudly. Studies show that emotionally intelligent parents raise emotionally intelligent kids more than those with poor emotional intelligence. Your tantrums and frustration radiate to your Child and eventually come out in the same manner from them during similar situations later. Make it a habit to build your Child's skills to become an effective role model.

• Help Them Regulate their Feelings by Teaching Healthy Coping Skills

Now that the Child knows what he feels, it is essential to teach them how to regulate or handle it positively. For example, it is hard for children to independently control their anger or sadness. This is where coping skills or techniques come for help. Teach children to practise taking deep breaths and calming themselves down. It can be different for each Child. Some find it easy to cope with what they feel through breathing techniques, some through soothing music, some through games and activities like running and painting and some through meditation.

Another technique to help them create and carry an emotion is a regulator kit. This may sound funny, but it helps. A joke book, favourite colouring book, soothing music, nice smelling lotions that calm their senses and emotions etc are some of the things you can keep inside the kit. This can be varied according to the interests and preferences of each Child.

• Train Children To Fix Or Solve The Problem Themselves

Helping children solve the problem that triggered their emotions on their own is very important. Help your children believe in themselves. Teach them to be masters of their feelings and let them know they can do it themselves. Analysing the problem is the first step towards solving it. Ask them to point out how different it could have been to avoid it. Next, help them find at least five possible solutions for the problem. Analyse the pros and cons of each solution and choose the best possible one at the end. Never act like you are the one who is finding the answer for them. Instead, help them in the process of finding the solution.

• Render Your Ongoing Support and Guidance and Make it an Ongoing Goal

Emotional intelligence cannot be attained and relaxed upon, like passing an examination or reaching the finishing line in a competition. It is an ongoing process. Be with your Child throughout their journey through the rollercoaster of emotions. Never leave them in the midst if they commit mistakes but teach them to learn from mistakes and failures. Please help them to embrace failures with an open mind. No matter how good your Child's emotional intelligence is, there is always room for improvement. There will be ups and downs through childhood and adolescence. Help your child come out with confidence at all ages.

Conclusion

We all need a safe space or place to unpack all of who we are. Preschool in Abu Dhabi Building emotional intelligence in children from a young age is very important for becoming compassionate humans of this earth. Instead of harsh disciplines and punishments, children need compassionate listening and loving limits and boundaries.

According to many studies, children feel safe to learn or learn when they feel free of judgements and criticism. When treated with kindness and respect, they have autonomy over their bodies to learn more. Love and celebration of their unique differences make their neurological system fully operational. As a result, they grow and learn with flying colours. Help them beautify the world within them to make the world outside more beautiful!