Benefits of Emotional Intelligence in Children
One important life skill that can and should be taught to children is emotional intelligence. Learning emotional intelligence skills can help children be more aware of their emotions. Being more aware of, and being able to name their emotions, helps children control and handle those emotions more thoughtfully and compassionately.
Learning emotional intelligence can help children in many ways.
1. Reduce Bullying Instances – Children who are better able to pinpoint their emotions and feelings, do not bully as much as those children who cannot, and they are also more likely to stand up for themselves and others when in a situation where they are bullied.
2. Improve Academic Success – When a child can acknowledge their emotions, even if they have lives full of turmoil, they are better able to focus on learning in the academic environment. They can name their feelings, control their feelings, and self-soothe a lot better than children who don’t have emotional intelligence skills.
3. Create Stronger Relationships – When children can understand their feelings better, they can also understand other people’s feelings better. This can help them to build stronger relationships with others. People who have stronger relationships in their life do better in other aspects of their life, too.
4. Increase Attention Span – When a child can keep their emotions in check, their attention span increased because they are not sidetracked by emotional noise. They can learn better and do more because they feel better.
5. Control Emotions Better – When a child cannot name their emotions, they can become out of control trying to understand what they are feeling. Emotional intelligence skills help a child understand and control emotions better, avoiding outbursts and potential juvenile detention.
6. Enhance Memory – One of the first things a psychologist does is check the memory of their patients by asking them to remember three things. When there is too much emotional turmoil, most patients fail this exercise. When a child has learned emotional intelligence skills, they are more likely to have a better memory.
7. Reduce Emotional Eating – People, including children, who avoid their feelings and emotions, tend to eat more salt, sugar and fat to self-medicate. Children who undergo lessons in identifying emotions tend not to eat for emotional reasons. This can have far-reaching positive health consequences.
8. Better Self-Esteem – Children who can not only recognise their own emotions but can also name other people’s emotions with improved empathy tend to feel better about themselves. When a child’s self-image is heightened, they do a lot better in life.
Teaching children how to increase their emotional intelligence is an important part of teaching children life skills. The benefits are so enormous that these types of life lessons cannot be ignored.
