I am happy to say I was excited to see the article "Raise A Kid Who Cares: Fun Games That Teach Kindness" in the May 2011 issue.
An ability to recognize and understand emotions can help your kid have better friendships, succeed in school, and even become closer with you. (Rones, 2011).
EQ stands for Emotional Quotient. Word is (research supported) EQ is a higher indicator of future success than IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and that EQ supports IQ and SQ. SQ is Social Quotient, something we'll get to later. The good news is we can help support and boost our children's EQ. Like everything else, it starts before school age.
When your baby cries and you pick him or her up and say "ooohhh, so sad" you are teaching your child empathy and the ability to recognize her feelings.
When my oldest, Evan, was 2 he really liked the Disney movie Brother Bear. At one point Kenai, one of the bears, makes an angry face and my dad (who is always one to watch Disney with the kids) said "oh, he's angry, look at his face". This is how we create a teaching moment - in the every day parts of life. Like learning to read, it can be fun, and it should be a part of every day.
The following are a couple of the games the article featured in order to promote EQ (you'll notice the idea is to recognize others' emotions and think about what others are thinking):
1. Magical Mind Reading
THE LESSON: You can sense feelings.
SET THE SCENE: Go to the playground. During a break from the swings, sit and have a snack and observe all the emotions others have around you.
HOW TO PLAY: Point out a kid in your vicinity (like the boy who's laughing hysterically as he's being spun around on the merry-go-round), and ask your child to guess what he's thinking. Look for opportunities to identify different feelings, such as that of the little girl who seems angry because she hasn't been able to make it across the monkey bars after numerous tries or the toddler who looks fearful about going down the slide. You can also ask your child to pick out a couple moms or dads and describe what's going on in their head too.
2. Emotions in Motion
THE LESSON: Body language is a wonderful way to express feelings.
SET THE SCENE: Make a playlist of songs that range in mood and tempo - including both fast and slow tunes that sound calm, happy, sad, and even angry. "Few things capture emotions like music," says Dr. Feldman. Some songs you might include: Laurie Berkner's "I Feel Crazy So I Jump in the Soup" and "The Happiest Song I Know" as well as "Twist and Shout" and "Yesterday" by The Beatles, "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves, and "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan. you can also include a few classical numbers too, such as Claude Debussy's "Clair de Lune" or Aaron Copland's "Hoedown." Then turn up the volume.
HOW TO PLAY: Using movements and facial expressions, act out the mood of the music that's playing. Fore example, the two of you might pretend that you're sad or sleepy when the music is slow and mellow; when the rhythm picks up and gets louder, you might express excitement with happy kicks or by raising your arms up as if you're cheering for a team that just scored. To help a young child label emotions, encourage her to call them when the music changes (she might say, "Ooh, I'm so angry", or "Ah! I'm scared!". Make it fun by incorporating some silly dance steps for your child to imitate - and fell free to skip to the next song if you find yourselves repeating the same moves over and over.
The following are a couple of the games the article featured in order to promote EQ (you'll notice the idea is to recognize others' emotions and think about what others are thinking):
1. Magical Mind Reading
THE LESSON: You can sense feelings.
SET THE SCENE: Go to the playground. During a break from the swings, sit and have a snack and observe all the emotions others have around you.
HOW TO PLAY: Point out a kid in your vicinity (like the boy who's laughing hysterically as he's being spun around on the merry-go-round), and ask your child to guess what he's thinking. Look for opportunities to identify different feelings, such as that of the little girl who seems angry because she hasn't been able to make it across the monkey bars after numerous tries or the toddler who looks fearful about going down the slide. You can also ask your child to pick out a couple moms or dads and describe what's going on in their head too.
2. Emotions in Motion
THE LESSON: Body language is a wonderful way to express feelings.
SET THE SCENE: Make a playlist of songs that range in mood and tempo - including both fast and slow tunes that sound calm, happy, sad, and even angry. "Few things capture emotions like music," says Dr. Feldman. Some songs you might include: Laurie Berkner's "I Feel Crazy So I Jump in the Soup" and "The Happiest Song I Know" as well as "Twist and Shout" and "Yesterday" by The Beatles, "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves, and "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan. you can also include a few classical numbers too, such as Claude Debussy's "Clair de Lune" or Aaron Copland's "Hoedown." Then turn up the volume.
HOW TO PLAY: Using movements and facial expressions, act out the mood of the music that's playing. Fore example, the two of you might pretend that you're sad or sleepy when the music is slow and mellow; when the rhythm picks up and gets louder, you might express excitement with happy kicks or by raising your arms up as if you're cheering for a team that just scored. To help a young child label emotions, encourage her to call them when the music changes (she might say, "Ooh, I'm so angry", or "Ah! I'm scared!". Make it fun by incorporating some silly dance steps for your child to imitate - and fell free to skip to the next song if you find yourselves repeating the same moves over and over.
