Before your child goes to school, one of the most critical responsibilities of a parent is to help our children identify their emotions so that they can express themselves. You don't have to wait for disruption in your life, like a big move or death, or for your little one to start school to teach him how to identify emotions and manage them.
Think of emotional intelligence as another lesson for school at home. A lot of thought is being spent on what to teach and how. Aside from the academics, it's crucial to teach kids about emotions.
Why learning about feelings makes kids happier
Research has proven that children who have high emotional intelligence are kinder, happier, healthier, and more successful. Here are the reasons :
It helps children get along with others.
When a child recognizes feelings and can navigate them, he can have a better relationships with his family and peers. It also helps develop empathy, where your child considers how other feel. It also helps you get closer to your child.
It helps them cope better with problems.
Having a good grasp of emotions helps a child navigate what to do when faced with cthallenges. It helps give your child an excellent outlook to tackle any challenges that your child may encounter, whether it's with his peers or in school.
It lessens the likelihood of tantrums.
Toddlers throw a tantrum because they have yet to learn how to express themselves. If your little one knows how he feels, he can say it through words or pictures instead of acting out. When your toddler recognizes his feelings, he will not resort to hitting or throwing things.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWHow to start teaching your toddlers about emotions
You can do this activity anytime and anywhere. First, you need to choose an emotion, name it, and show your child how the feeling may manifest or look like in a person's face or body.
If you choose the word excited, talk to your child about the time you felt the emotion, and mention some instances that your little one may feel excited, too. For example, she might be excited to go to the park to play or meet is friends. (As your child grows, you can introduce similar feeling words, too.)
Then, show how excited looks like in your face and how your whole body may express the feeling of excitement. You can make a face with big eyes, and maybe the person is jumping up and down. Model the emotion and ask your child to show you the same feeling.
Reading a book about emotions can help. You can draw the feelings, show videos, and use puppets to help you act out certain emotions. It's also crucial to keep your emotions in check, as well. Your kids will learn more, seeing you than hearing you tell them what to do.
Make it a point to ask your child how he feels. This practice reinforces the idea that their feelings matter. Feelings are not good or bad, but they play a significant role in how we act.
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