Emotional Intelligence: It's Necessity in Child Development

Daniel Goleman once rightly said in his work Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, "For better or worse, intelligence can come to nothing when the emotions hold sway."
How we navigate our emotions is often reflected in our thoughts and actions. Hence, it is essential to reinforce emotional and social well-being in a person right in childhood. In the blog, we will first explore the importance of emotional intelligence in children. Further, we will discuss strategies to nurture it in children for long-term benefits.

Define emotional intelligence. Why are emotional intelligence skills necessary for kids?

Emotional intelligence signifies skills that help one maintain emotional health and social competence. These skills are categorized broadly into self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation, and social skills. Emotional intelligence skills are significant to kids as they help them identify, comprehend, and manage their own emotions. These skills also help them empathize with others and interact with them effectively.

Ways to Nurture Emotional Intelligence Skills in Children:

These are some ways in which parents and caregivers can nurture emotional intelligence skills in young children:

● Give a good model for emotional regulation.

To begin with, you can try to show kids healthy ways to express and manage emotions. You can do this by verbalizing your feelings while staying calm and patient in the face of a challenge. Thus, you will foster emotional expression and problem-solving skills in your kids.

● Motivate them to express their emotions.

Try to be open to your kids expressing their good and bad emotions. Try to listen carefully and not dismiss but validate their feelings. This would create a safe environment for your kids to develop self-awareness and empathy. Further, repeatedly helping them to identify and label certain emotions would teach them words to express their complex feelings.

● Teaching problem-solving skills to your kids:

To teach problem-solving skills to your kids, it is important to refrain from offering solutions to their problems immediately. Instead, you can guide them through the different steps of problem-solving. Assist them in explaining the issue they are facing. Encourage them to think about different solutions to the problem. Finally, you can encourage them to consider the pros and cons of each solution and choose the best for the situation. Such a process would not only promote self-regulation in your children but also improve their skills in decision-making. It would also instill in them a sense of autonomy and responsibility.

● Teaching Coping Methods such as Relaxation, Mindfulness, and Positive Self-talk to Kids

You need to teach kids self-calming methods such as mindfulness, deep breathing, and visualization to help them manage anxiety and stress. Help your kids challenge their negative thoughts by reframing them in a positive light. Slowly teach them to engage in positive affirmations and self-talk. Regular practice of these coping mechanisms is thought to improve self-confidence, self-esteem, and emotional resilience in kids.

● Nurturing Perspective-taking and Empathy in Children

You can develop empathy in kids by encouraging them to think from different perspectives. Activities such as role-playing could be of great help in this regard. You can include discussing the feelings of different characters in such activities to motivate engaging social awareness. Another method is by encouraging kids to volunteer in community services. These are great experiences to develop and express empathy, kindness, and compassion.

● Bringing up kids in a supportive environment:

You have to pay special attention to bringing up your children in an environment that supports their comfortable expression of emotions. Parents or caregivers should remember that it is necessary to show kids how safe and nurturing the space is and fill it with empathy and mutual respect to help them develop emotional intelligence skills. Equally important is for you to celebrate the moments when your kids express self-regulation, empathy, and peaceful conflict resolution to strengthen the development of desired behaviors.

Development of Emotional Intelligence Skills at NSK International School:

NSK International School, one of the best CBSE schools in Pathanamthitta gives immense significance to the emotional development of our students. Presently, we adopt a beyond-the-classroom approach to the teaching and learning experience. This approach incorporates co-curricular activities, value education activities, soft skill development programs, and the teaching of crisis management techniques that mainly focus on emotional management. Further, we realize the significance of proper guidance and compassionate support in the holistic development of our students. Hence, we employ the dedicated service of a school counselor to help them reach their full potential through well-being and academic success. Also read: Counselor's page on our website

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How is emotional intelligence tested in children?

The following are some ways in which emotional intelligence is tested in children:
● Making kids recognize the emotions of characters from pictures
● Making kids role-play in social scenarios to empathize and communicate
● Identifying social scenarios and facial expressions with corresponding emotions
● Asking kids how they or other people would respond to real-life dilemmas
● Multiple-choice questions to assess children's ability to handle stress, manage emotions, and build relationships
● Through tests such as Assessment of Children's Emotion Skills (ACES) and EMOtion in CINEma scenes (EMOCINE).

2. How does poor emotional intelligence manifest itself in children?

Poor emotional intelligence in children manifests itself in the following ways:
● Frequent and fierce outbursts of emotions
● Trouble identifying and describing own feelings
● Trouble in expressing ideas and feelings and giving opinions
● Difficulty in understanding others feelings
● Obsession over mistakes
● Pessimism and hopelessness after setbacks
● Trouble dealing with criticism

3. What are some fine children's books to help kids develop emotional intelligence?

The following are a few good children's books that can help kids develop emotional intelligence:
● The Feelings Book by Todd Parr
● The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
● B is for Breathe by Dr. Melissa Munro Boyd
● In My Heart by Jo Witek
● The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee