The Importance of Developing Emotional Intelligence for Kids

“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.”- Mohsin Hamid.

Navigating emotions is a complex activity that often guides one’s thoughts and actions. According to researchers Peter Salavoy and John Mayer, emotional intelligence, the capacity to assess one’s environment and understand one’s feelings and those around them, is a strong indicator of social awareness. As children explore the world around them, they are susceptible to being influenced to form new perspectives and adopt new behaviors. Kids who learn to connect their own experiences to those around them interact in a way that promotes a much safer and more trusting environment. By teaching empathy to our children, we encourage a deeper self-awareness of how to cultivate strong relationships and appropriately respond to personal, interpersonal, and external situations. Below, we have outlined some strategies and their long-term benefits that can support your child in developing a higher emotional intelligence and becoming more confident and independent.

Helping Kids Develop Emotional Intelligence

We can increase our child’s emotional awareness by encouraging open and candid conversations. Emotion coaching can help a young one deal with difficult feelings. By welcoming our child’s thoughts and concerns, we allow them a space to be vulnerable without judgment and build their emotional literacy.

An effective method of communicating with your child is simply asking, “Why?”. This allows them to examine and dissect the situation independently and understand why they are reacting in a particular manner before receiving your input. This practice may also strengthen their social skills, emotional intelligence, and emotional awareness by encouraging them to take the thoughts and feelings of others into consideration while also learning self-control. Emotions can operate on a spectrum, and helping your children identify these layers can benefit their self-awareness. Difficult situations and big feelings may arise in children at any time. Your child’s ability to distinguish each emotion while articulating these feelings will help them develop mindfulness and better understand people’s emotions.

Taking time to acknowledge and uplift your child’s successes in times of failure is also beneficial. A child’s ability to pick up parenting cues is no easy feat! Children learn to communicate by watching and mimicking their parents and caregivers, so when communicating with another person, emphasize listening over responding. Pause for a brief moment and give your children the center stage. Approach social-emotional learning with a growth mindset. Emotional skills are hard to learn and take time and patience.

We can also help develop our children’s emotional intelligence by encouraging them to be curious. Observing and being sensitive to many different environments and contexts can enhance one’s ability to adapt to unpredictable situations. Encourage your child to pay attention to how the world functions around them. Engaging in oral storytelling, writing, or acting in a play can help your child experience life outside of their own shoes.

The most effective way to develop emotional intelligence in our children is to have them constantly question things by looking within. Give them the space and time to explore their environments and be captivated by the simplest things. Looking within helps kids understand different feelings and recognize emotions. Eventually, understanding emotions can lead them to see other people’s feelings and develop empathy.

Emotional Intelligence Can Help Creativity

Research indicates that high emotional intelligence can benefit creative performance, even during creative blocks. Engaging in activities that promote the use of imagination can increase a child’s problem-solving skills exponentially. They will become more perceptive of patterns, allowing them to think of innovative solutions in their daily lives, from school to playtime.

A rich imagination can also create a more positive outlook. A person with many ideas will see several angles rather than one, promoting possibility and other avenues for success. Positivity in children can also promote healthy mindsets and thus exhibit better present and future behavior. Encouraging creativity in your kids, rather than diminishing it, can lead to great self-discovery.

Emotional Intelligence Builds Strong Character

Having emotional intelligence can allow a person to become more self-confident. According to a study published in The National Academies Press, self-confidence can lead to success in various settings. It is often found in many competent leaders, as they are self-assured with their personal progress and in tune with the needs and objectives of their team.

Emotional intelligence also increases communication and management skills. Leaders can assess the landscape and see the big picture without neglecting the minor details. When individuals know themselves and their environment, they are better equipped to understand others and decrease the likelihood of conflict or misunderstanding.

Encourage your child to become a great teammate and leader by increasing social interaction amongst their peers and holding important discussions. Enroll them in sports leagues or music lessons, or support your little entrepreneurs by hosting a bake sale or lemonade stand in your neighborhood or school.

Exhibiting high emotional intelligence can allow one to manage challenges better and stay positive in the face of adversity. Obstacles can be seen as opportunities. Children in tune with their emotions may be willing to understand and explore the root of their discomfort rather than suppress it and engage in negative behavior. Through recognizing feelings, they’re able to exhibit emotional self-regulation while also being in tune with others’ feelings. They can use feedback to their advantage to improve their performance rather than be crippled by it. As parents and caregivers, providing support and resources to your child as they undergo their emotional and mental development is essential.

Emotional Intelligence Creates Long-Lasting Bonds

Emotional intelligence enables your child to create strong connections with those around them and build impacting relationships. Children who are empathetic to their peers are more likely to establish trust and respect. According to a study by the University of Wolverhampton, children with high emotional intelligence levels also have an easier time adjusting to and sustaining new friendships and have more favorable social interactions with those who are different from them.

When you view emotional intelligence as a tool for creating long-lasting friendships and cultivating a closer bond with your child, you lead by example and set the tone for their future relationships.