7 Tips for Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child
Children can be extremely challenging as they have very short attention spans and can get bored easily. They may also be quite fidgety and restless, making it difficult to discipline them or impress good manners on them.
Raising an emotionally intelligent child may seem like a daunting task, but there are plenty of parents who have done it. Here are seven steps to take to make sure your child grows up to be a healthy and emotionally mature person:
1) Give your child plenty of love, encouragement, praise, and affection. When people feel loved and accepted by others, they will want to continue doing well in life in order to keep that sense of approval from others. Affection is important since people who receive the right amount of affection tend to do much better than those who don't.
2) Express how you feel about your child with words. Teaching children to be aware and express their feelings has been proven to be very important in building up the emotional intelligence of young ones. What better way than letting them hear it from you. For example, don't just say "I'm proud of you" when they do something right. Instead, try "It makes me happy when I see how much you enjoy being around other people.”
3) Don't be afraid to talk about emotions. This is not just applicable to the process of raising children but also for adults as well. Asking how their day went, or even telling them about your own eventful days can help children learn more about how emotions are expressed.
4) Always give an explanation before punishing them for something they did wrong. For example, if you tell your child not to throw things around in the house only to catch him doing so later on, it's good practice to explain why this behavior isn't allowed rather than just giving a warning of punishment right away.
5) Don't raise your voice at them often. Before you know it, they will grow up thinking that shouting is a normal way of communication. Some may even pick up the habit of using violence in order to get their point across. Yelling can also be very frightening for small children who may not understand what's going on and may end up feeling afraid or insecure when you're angry with them.
6) Give your child plenty of chances when he does something wrong. This may be very difficult to do, especially when you are already angry about the situation. But it's important to let your child know that you're willing to correct his behavior before he grows up and thinks that he can get away with anything.
7) Let them make their own decisions when it comes to certain things. As much as you may want to keep a check on your child's life, there is no need for him or her to become an adult who only needs help with everything. It's okay if they mess up sometimes and even fail at the first few attempts at something new.
Raising emotionally intelligent children is not easy, but it’s worth the work. It takes time and patience to raise an emotionally intelligent child because they are naturally more sensitive than other kids their age.
If you can manage these emotions through daily interactions with your kids at home or in school, then you will be able to better help them learn how to deal with different situations as they come up throughout life.
What if there is a step-by-step guide that will help you raise emotionally intelligent children? Check out the link below to learn more.