The importance of emotional intelligence in children
Teach children emotional education not only good for them and, in general, for our family, but also for ourselves, that we feel more satisfied and happy. Know that it is possible to be a “coach” of your children and guide them and help them develop correct emotional intelligence … all of this can be done without ceasing to be parents.
So how can we become “coach” of our children in our home?
How to educate children about positive emotions
The Spanish psychologist Ana Asensio , in an article in the Spanish magazine Serpadres , has identified some ways to teach emotional intelligence to children . Here are what they are.
EDUCATE TO CALM AND SERENITY. It is a teaching that is very important today and that children will also use for the rest of their lives: it is essential to learn to return to calm and to connect with your own serenity. We all know how fast today’s world is and we know the amount of stimuli that exist.
It is advisable to know how to calm down, to know how to breathe, to learn to remain silent, to learn to stop, to wait, to know boredom, to do “nothing”. Equally fundamental is connecting with the body and knowing how to connect with that healthy “light-heartedness” that allows our head and body to rest.
EDUCATE TO EMOTIONS. It is vital to learn what is going on inside us, what we feel, understand feelings, etc. When we want to train our children in this, it is important to educate them to know the emotions, to know how to read them, to talk about them and to support them in recognizing them. For example, sorrow can result in anger, but it can also result in sadness for a certain period of time. The important thing is that our children learn to feel emotions and to decide their management , evaluating the consequences and what they need.
EDUCATE TO TRUST . The trust is important for our inner happiness, is a security and certainty internal state. Feeling confident will always help us not to continually experience fear or run away. To educate our children about trust, it is important to trust them, to stand by their side, to take care of them. Even when they are teenagers and go to the cinema with friends: in this situation we can feel fear or distrust, but it is important to coldly evaluate the situation, feel that “connection” with them and trust them. This is the best way to help them.