Building Emotional Intelligence Through Mindful Moments
As we welcome spring and new beginnings, consider focusing this month on helping your child develop emotional intelligence - a key skill that will serve them throughout life.
Practice This: Set aside 5 minutes each day for an "emotion check-in." Ask your child how they're feeling and really listen. Use specific emotion words beyond just "good" or "bad" to help expand their emotional vocabulary. Try "I notice you seem frustrated with that puzzle. Is that how you're feeling?"
Remember: Children learn emotional regulation by watching you. When you're feeling overwhelmed, model healthy coping by saying something like, "I'm feeling stressed right now, so I'm going to take three deep breaths to help myself calm down."
Quick Tip: Create a simple emotions chart with faces showing different feelings. This visual aid helps younger children identify and name what they're experiencing, making abstract emotions more concrete.
By consistently acknowledging emotions without judgment, you're teaching your child that all feelings are valid - it's how we respond to them that matters.
Thank you for joining us in supporting the inner light of the children,
Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten
