MAKING THE GRADE
Individuals with high emotional intelligence (EQ) are happier, healthier and more successful. As parents, this is essentially what we want for our kids. So how do we help develop our children’s emotional intelligence?
“As parents, we have to start developing our child’s emotional intelligence by first understanding our own emotions through self-awareness, and then showing emotional control through practicing mindfulness, emotional regulation, and active coping,” says Dr. Shefali Gandhi, a licensed psychologist in Scottsdale, Arizona. “When we include the language of emotions in our daily routines and model emotional awareness, we are laying the groundwork for our children to have high EQs, be socially sophisticated, and feel a sense of self-accomplishment.”
Whether you have a Pre-K, elementary, junior high, high school or college student, Dr. Gandhi offers an age-appropriate guide to teaching our children to be more emotionally intelligent, and modeling this behavior to them, as well.
Emotional Intelligence in Pre-K
CHILD READING LIST
★ “The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon” by Matthew Burgess”
★ “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst
PARENT READING LIST
★ “Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child: The Heart of Parenting” by John Gottman, Ph.D. and Joan Declaire
★ Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive” by Daniel Siegel
Preschool-aged children are so much fun. They’re learning how to use language to describe their world and their experiences, so it’s the best time to introduce the language of emotions.
At this stage, help your child learn how to use words to describe their internal sensory and emotional experiences by defining feeling words and linking them to physical experiences that accompany emotions.
