Thirteen strategies to educate children in emotional intelligence

Promoting emotional intelligence in children will help them, as adults, to properly channel their emotions, be more empathetic and enjoy greater well-being. Let’s look at some techniques to achieve this.

Emotions dress every aspect of our lives and our daily lives. . Knowing how to control, manage and use them through the promotion of emotional intelligence will undoubtedly allow us to face our daily lives in a more efficient way.
Emotionthought and action are the three pillars that weave together every moment of our being. Hence, the importance of delving into this type of knowledge to face certain situations, to function in our society in an efficient way. So, isn’t it essential that the little ones also start learning emotional intelligence?
An example, Let us think of those children with a deficient capacity to accept frustration, and even to obey a refusal, children who do not respect their peers and who tomorrow are condemned to a reality where unhappiness will be that leitmotiv with which they will have to live, being incapable of understanding others. .

Knowledge, understanding and control of emotions are essential for our children to function properly in society.

We suggest these principles so that you can introduce them to the interesting field of emotional intelligence. . Principles that will help them develop as people and integrate.

1. Emotional intelligence to control your anger

Until 18 months, children basically need the affection and care of their parents, all of which gives them enough security to adapt to their environment, to explore and master their fears. But we have to keep in mind that From 6 months onwards they will begin to develop Ragehence the importance of knowing how to channel your reactions and correct any wrongdoing.
There are babies who can hit their parents or siblings, scream angrily when they are not offered something… actions that parents may find funny, but that need to be limited from birth. Above all, They must be accompanied by messages that invite them to reason. and to control what they are feeling.

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2. Teach to recognize basic emotions

From the age of two it is advisable to introduce children to the field of emotion recognition, since this is when they begin to interact with adults and other children in a more open way.

We can do various exercises with them, such as introducing them to the knowledge of basic emotions: joy, sadness, fear and anger.

How to do it? Through photographs of faces, drawings, asking them what is happening to them, if they are sad or why they think the other is sad… This It is a perfect way for them to learn to recognize their emotions little by little and also those of others and above all, begin to develop the skill of empathy.

3. Name the emotions

From the age of 5, it would be perfect for children to already know how to name emotions. in a habitual way: “I’m angry because you haven’t taken me to the park”, “I’m happy because tomorrow we’re going on a hike”, “I’m afraid that you’ll turn off the light because you’ll leave me alone.”

4. Teach to deal with emotions with examples

It is common for children to sometimes be overcome by emotions, such as tantrums that make them scream or hit things. It is necessary that we do not reinforce these situations, once the huff We can teach them, for example, that before yelling or hitting It is better to express out loud what is bothering you. Let them learn to express their feelings from a very young age.

5. Develop your empathy

To develop a dimension as important as this It is necessary to reason with them continuously through different questions: How do you think Grandpa feels after what you’ve told him? Why do you think your sister is crying? Do you think dad is happy today?”
For its part, When making or saying comments that could hurt someone, instead of admonishing them, ask how they think the other person feels. after what he did. Thus, she will learn to put herself in the other’s place, to recognize emotions in others and understand in which situations they may appear.

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6. Develop your communication

Talking to children, asking them questions, reasoning, playing, giving examples… is essential in their education. We must continually encourage them to express themselves put their opinion and feelings out loud, so that they learn to dialogue.

7. Teach active listening

Essential. From a very young age they must know how to save silence while others talk, but not only that, they must also learn to listen actively. Hence it is advisable to speak to them slowly, face to face and ending the sentences with a “Did you understand?”, “Do you agree with what I said?” .
In addition, To develop this skill it is important that they feel heard . Therefore, the ideal will be to encourage dialogues between equals, where their opinion also counts. If you notice him being too quiet in a certain situation, ask him what he thinks about the subject or what he would like to do,

8. Start with secondary emotions

From the age of 10-11, secondary emotions will emerge in their lives that will gain more weight, such as love, shame, anxiety … Always It is appropriate that good communication with them allows us to talk about these issues openly so that they feel safe. since there will be situations that cause you a lot of anxiety.

9. Promote democratic dialogue

As children get older, more demands will appear on their part, which is why from a very young age we teach them the importance of making agreements, of dialogue, of agreeing in a democratic way. The family It is an example of society and is the best field of learning.

10. Allow the expression of emotions

To foster emotional intelligence, it is essential that we can provide our children with the appropriate confidence so that they can say out loud what worries them, what makes them happy but also unhappy.
Home and school are going to be those first settings where their life will develop. If we offer them comfort so they can express and communicate, so will they as they grow. and in the rest of the contexts.

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11. Channel negative emotions

In addition to allowing them to express their emotions freely, it is important to teach them to do so assertively. This implies that the child Understand that you won’t always be able to control what you feel, but you can control how to respond to different situations. .
Therefore, and Teach him to channel his negative emotions and express what he experiences in words. From the age of five, they can learn easy strategies such as; counting to ten before reacting when angry, doing simple breathing techniques, taking a walk and then coming back to address the topic, etc.
For its part, physical activity and sport are great allies to help them download those unpleasant emotions.

12. Promote social skills

So that the child learns to relate to his peers and develops a sense of belonging with his peer group, we can encourage cooperative and community games that promote teamwork. This will help them feel important and strengthen their self-esteem.
In conclusion, Knowing how to communicate and recognize your own and other people’s emotions are, without a doubt, essential for them to mature little by little. and achieve adequate solvency to integrate into society and be happy in it. We can give them that opportunity through education in emotional intelligence.

13. Encourage instead of praise

Finally, a key to strengthening self-esteem and encouraging achievement is to practice encouraging, rather than praising, communication. Well, When encouraged, the focus is placed on effort and improvement, instead of solely focusing on success. .
So, They will learn to value the journey and the learning from any situation even when the results are not as expected.
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