How to create an emotionally literate child

Develop children's emotional literacy in the home.

Emotional Intelligence or "EQ" was popularized in the 1990s by Daniel Goleman, author of the book "Emotional Intelligence." EQ is described as the ability to understand and contextualize the feelings of ourselves and others, to develop social skills and emotional well-being. Child Psychologist Dr. Maurice Elias suggests that a child's standard of emotional health is predictive of academic achievement, the success of future careers and relationships, and physical health. Developing children's emotional intelligence at home can promote better behavior, improve family cohesion and create harmony between siblings.

Things You'll Need

• Photographs or images of people
• Feelings labels
• Board games
• Small rewards
• Paper
• Marker pens
• Themed children's books

Instructions

1. 

   Improve emotional vocabulary to help children behave more calmly.

   Children who can verbally describe their feelings are better equipped to communicate their needs. Researchers at the University of Colorado found that children with a wider emotional vocabulary were more able to discriminate between feelings and discuss their experiences, which allowed them to develop social and emotional competence for later life. Encourage children to match photographs of people to feelings labels and model using emotional language to help build children's awareness.

2. 

   Work and play together to resolve conflict.

   A characteristic of emotionally intelligent people is their ability to appropriately resolve conflict and communicate with others, building relationships with ease. Use board games or imaginative play to teach turn-taking skills, sharing and cooperation, rewarding appropriate behavior with a small prize or praise. Communicating expectations, rules and repercussions for breaking rules will establish boundaries that children can adhere to.

3. 

   A goal chart can help to keep children on track

   Teaching children the skill of creating and meeting goals can lead to success with school work, on the sports field and with everyday behavior. Create a goal chart with objectives broken down into simple targets that children can reach. Encourage children to monitor their progress and explore "failures" as learning opportunities to keep children engaged and help them succeed next time.

4. 

   Many children's books address emotional themes

   Research conducted by the Psychology Department of the University of Miami found that empathy is "essential for motivating pro-social behavior toward others, including complying with social rules and engaging in altruistic behavior." Take advantage of opportunities throughout the day for children to build empathy and discuss feelings, such as after an argument or tantrum. Many children's books explore themes such as loss, loneliness, jealousy and joy, which can be used as a talking point about their own experiences and to develop empathy for others.

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References

• "Emotionally Intelligent Parenting"; Elias, M; 1999
• University of Colorado: Enhancing Emotional Vocabulary in Young Children
• University of Miami: The Development of Empathy: How, When, and Why

Resources

• "Emotional Intelligence"; Daniel Goleman, 1995