Read books together! <\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nSounds obvious, we know. We aren\u2019t suggesting that you read together for the purpose of developing your child\u2019s imaginations or literacy skills; we\u2019re sure that you and your child\u2019s school are already on top of that!<\/p>\n
There is a HUGE selection of children\u2019s books that can help you teach the lessons in character-building that you want to hammer home; below are just a few of our favorites.<\/p>\n
When kids see characters in their books dealing with \u201cproblems\u201d similar to their own, they feel validated and less alone. Also, reading books as a way of addressing difficult topics of conversation shifts the dynamic from \u201ctalking at\u201d to \u201ctalking with\u201d our kids.<\/p>\n
Some other benefits of reading to build EQ: quiet one-on-one time (bonding); visual depictions and cues for conversation; and helps build kids\u2019 EQ vocabulary.<\/p>\n
Book recommendations:<\/p>\n
\u201cIn My Heart\u201d by Jo Witek <\/strong><\/p>\nThis book explores many of the basic emotions that our little ones experience. Feelings can often be reflected in behaviour, which is why it\u2019s so important for our kids to be able to practice articulating and identifying their own emotions.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing the Best Me\u201d series by Cheri J Meiners<\/strong><\/p>\nThis series of books tackles real-life issues that affect our kids. They are simply written and relatable. They also allow you as the parent to broach topics without lecturing. Cheri\u2019s books cover topics such as: having a positive attitude, how to forgive and let go, confidence, resiliency, courage, and integrity.<\/p>\n
*Tip: While reading these books, you can pause and ask if your child has ever felt the way the character does and ask for an example. You can also work as a team to think of ways that they can cope with these problems when they occur.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\n Watch TV together!<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nSound crazy? How does watching TV help with emotional intelligence? Well, kids shows generally have a \u201cgood\u201d and \u201cbad\u201d character. This allows you to teach important lessons using a third party, without it being directly about your child.\u00a0 Provide your little one with a few appropriate choices and then let them select the show; they will buy in more if they have some control and interest in what they are watching. Then grab a snack and cozy up!<\/p>\n
Some other benefits of watching TV to build EQ: child empowerment (by allowing them to choose the show) \u2192 reduces power struggles; most kids love screens so they\u2019re likely to engage and focus; and watching a show that they\u2019ve chosen sends the message that you\u2019re interested in THEIR interests.<\/p>\n
Some examples of shows that address character education (and explicitly identify the skill that they are exploring in each episode):<\/p>\n
\nBarbie Dreamtopia<\/li>\n Rainbow Ruby<\/li>\n Superwhy<\/li>\n Sofia the First<\/li>\n Daniel Tiger\u2019s Neighbourhood<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe Plan:<\/strong> Have the remote in hand, and pause the TV when you notice that a character is displaying either positive or negative behaviours. Use this time to talk about how the behaviour makes you feel, and how they might make the other characters feel (teaching empathy). Use the show as a springboard for other discussions about making good choices, problem-solving, expressing feelings, etc.<\/p>\nTip: <\/strong>Try and relate the lessons from the show to real-life situations with friends and family – i.e. \u201cYou are feeling really sad that your brother won\u2019t let you play with him and his playdate. It\u2019s just like the show we watched together, when Amber wouldn\u2019t let Sofia play with her friends! How did Sofia and Amber work it out?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
For more tips and ideas on how to make parenting just a bit easier and loads more fun, follow us on IG at @socialcircleonline! Come join our Circle!<\/p>\n
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I’m very excited for this guest post from my friends at social circle online, who are parent and child coaches. Emily & Alyssa know that parenthood isn’t all rainbows and sunshine (hello – that’s why I started my blog!) and they are here to help because they have gone down this journey with their own […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"What is emotional intelligence (EQ) and why is it important? Read on to find out including three simple tips you can start implementing today! #momlife #parentingtips https:\/\/wp.me\/p3dEqj-3xm","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[137227060,137227404,5309],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13600","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-expert-advice","8":"category-featured","9":"category-parenting","10":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
tips for increasing your children's emotional intelligence<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n