Emotional Intelligence (EI) for children is similar to that of adults as they have the same base. It is your children’s ability to understand and assess emotions from what they observe. High EI helps your child create strong bonds with friends and family. High EI also helps your children do well in school. Your children may develop EI skills at different ages as they grow up. It is not linear and depends on various factors. These factors include their social ability, self-awareness, upbringing, and so on.

EI Traits in Children

These are some of the EI traits in growing children.

1. To be aware of their and others’ feelings.
2. To Point out emotions. Your children also begin to understand what feelings are. They grasp what facial cues; body language and vocal tones mean. Now they can pinpoint emotions in simple types such as anger, happiness, sadness, etc.  
3. Next your children will develop the ability to describe emotions with their names.
4. Empathy towards others is your children’s next step in learning EI. They start to show concern towards others. 
5. Next, your children will start to manage and control their emotions. They learn when it is appropriate to act or express what they feel. 
6. Your children will start to understand what causes feelings in them and others. 
7. They begin to understand that emotions lead to different actions and behavior. E.g. If someone shouts then it shows their anger while if someone smiles it is because they are happy. 

Emotional Intelligence for Kids– Examples

These are some of the examples of budding EI in your children. 

1. To make them express their emotions in ways you can easily notice. These can be words as well as facial cues.
2. Your children become alert and listen carefully to others. They form responses related to that only. 
3. Your children self-regulate themselves. They think before they act. They act in a way that gets them a positive response from others. 

Learn more about different types of EI here: What are the Four Types of Emotional Intelligence.

Teaching EI to Kids Through Games

To develop EI in your children, it is very important to gain their interest. If you are reading this article, you already have an idea about EI. It is necessary to introduce some new ways to teach EI to your children. It will make them more involved in the session. Ways to indulge your children in EI learning are through games, fun activities, and so on.

Teaching EI helps your children understand themselves better. It also helps them understand others too. With EI they interact with others and learn to handle situations they don’t like. EI is also good for your child’s mental health and wellbeing. High EI also helps your child in school. They make good friends and do well in their studies and sports. 

To make EI learning easy, here are some fun ways to raise EI in your children. 

1. Simon Says

“Simon says” is a classic children’s game that kids love to play. One of the group becomes Simon and the rest have to follow what he says. But the catch is they only have to follow if the command starts with the words “Simon Says” first. You can give it a nice EI twist by giving your kids visible cues (face and body) that match your command. 

In the first round give a demo of the emotions and tell the children to express them. For example, do a happy face by smiling and ask your children to do the same. 

In the second round continue as above. Tell your kids to express different emotions but only give a visible demo every second time. This prompts your children to practice and learns more about emotions on their own.

In the next rounds only give out verbal directions and do not do any visible demo. Pull a trick when you are about to finish the game. Give out the verbal directions but do a misleading visible demo at the same time. It may confuse your kids but that’s what the game is all about. Check how many of the kids get it right. 

This fun game helps your kids notice and express different types of emotions. Your kids are more aware of their emotions and have increased empathy too. 

2. The Emotion Game

This is a fun guessing game that teaches your kids to point out different emotions through facial cues. Make some cards and write down the names of different emotions in them. Stack these cards together. Get rubber bands to attach the cards to the foreheads. Sit your kids in a circle. Ask your kids to pick a card one at a time without looking at it. Then place it on their foreheads with the help of the rubber band. Now the other kids can see this card but not the child wearing it. The child wearing the card has to guess the emotion written on the card. They can ask questions without using the actual emotion name. Instead, they have to do a facial or non-verbal demo related to the emotion. Then get a yes or no answer for it. For instance, Would I feel this (demo of the emotion or feeling) if I won this game? Or would I feel this (demo of the emotion or feeling) if I did not receive the gift I was promised? The other kids will then give a yes or no answer to these questions. The main player wins if they guess it right. Then the game moves on to the other players until all emotion cards are used. 

This game helps your kids connect emotions with facial cues. Your kids begin to understand and relate to the feelings of others. They start pinpointing emotions and becoming better at social settings. 

3. Cops and Robbers with a Twist

This is a play on the classic “Cops and robbers” game we all used to play in childhood. This fun group game helps your kids make split-second decisions and manage themselves better. Get two balls in different colors or shapes. Name one “Cop” and the other “Robber”. Stand your kids in a circle and give these balls to separate kids. The rule of the game is that these balls cannot be held for more than one second by a player. The next rule is that the cop has to catch the robber and the robber has to escape from the cop. 

This means that if a kid has the robber, they need to make a split-second decision of passing the ball in the opposite direction so it escapes the clutches of the cop. If they have the Cop ball, they have to pass the ball in the direction of the robber to catch it. A player gets a point if they catch the robber, i.e., pass the Cop ball to the kid holding the robber ball. The winner is the kid who gets the highest points at the end of the game. 

For other helpful tips for raising EI in your kids, click here: Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child

Final Thoughts

The emotional intelligence for kids does not differ much from that of adults. Learning about feelings and emotions to effectively manage them is the core of EI. With EI your kids create strong bonds, develop empathy and build social skills. Teaching EI to your kids prepares and equips them for the future. Use the games given above to teach your children EI. And teaching your kids EI also helps you learn more about yourself. So, start teaching your kids EI today and grow and evolve along with your kids.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) for children is similar to that of adults as they have the same base. It is your children’s ability to understand and assess emotions from what they observe. High EI helps your child create strong bonds with friends and family. High EI also helps your children do well in school. Your children may develop EI skills at different ages as they grow up. It is not linear and depends on various factors. These factors include their social ability, self-awareness, upbringing, and so on.

EI Traits in Children

These are some of the EI traits in growing children.

1. To be aware of their and others’ feelings.
2. To Point out emotions. Your children also begin to understand what feelings are. They grasp what facial cues; body language and vocal tones mean. Now they can pinpoint emotions in simple types such as anger, happiness, sadness, etc.  
3. Next your children will develop the ability to describe emotions with their names.
4. Empathy towards others is your children’s next step in learning EI. They start to show concern towards others. 
5. Next, your children will start to manage and control their emotions. They learn when it is appropriate to act or express what they feel. 
6. Your children will start to understand what causes feelings in them and others. 
7. They begin to understand that emotions lead to different actions and behavior. E.g. If someone shouts then it shows their anger while if someone smiles it is because they are happy. 

Emotional Intelligence for Kids– Examples

These are some of the examples of budding EI in your children. 

1. To make them express their emotions in ways you can easily notice. These can be words as well as facial cues.
2. Your children become alert and listen carefully to others. They form responses related to that only. 
3. Your children self-regulate themselves. They think before they act. They act in a way that gets them a positive response from others. 

Learn more about different types of EI here: What are the Four Types of Emotional Intelligence.

Teaching EI to Kids Through Games

To develop EI in your children, it is very important to gain their interest. If you are reading this article, you already have an idea about EI. It is necessary to introduce some new ways to teach EI to your children. It will make them more involved in the session. Ways to indulge your children in EI learning are through games, fun activities, and so on.

Teaching EI helps your children understand themselves better. It also helps them understand others too. With EI they interact with others and learn to handle situations they don’t like. EI is also good for your child’s mental health and wellbeing. High EI also helps your child in school. They make good friends and do well in their studies and sports. 

To make EI learning easy, here are some fun ways to raise EI in your children. 

1. Simon Says

“Simon says” is a classic children’s game that kids love to play. One of the group becomes Simon and the rest have to follow what he says. But the catch is they only have to follow if the command starts with the words “Simon Says” first. You can give it a nice EI twist by giving your kids visible cues (face and body) that match your command. 

In the first round give a demo of the emotions and tell the children to express them. For example, do a happy face by smiling and ask your children to do the same. 

In the second round continue as above. Tell your kids to express different emotions but only give a visible demo every second time. This prompts your children to practice and learns more about emotions on their own.

In the next rounds only give out verbal directions and do not do any visible demo. Pull a trick when you are about to finish the game. Give out the verbal directions but do a misleading visible demo at the same time. It may confuse your kids but that’s what the game is all about. Check how many of the kids get it right. 

This fun game helps your kids notice and express different types of emotions. Your kids are more aware of their emotions and have increased empathy too. 

2. The Emotion Game

This is a fun guessing game that teaches your kids to point out different emotions through facial cues. Make some cards and write down the names of different emotions in them. Stack these cards together. Get rubber bands to attach the cards to the foreheads. Sit your kids in a circle. Ask your kids to pick a card one at a time without looking at it. Then place it on their foreheads with the help of the rubber band. Now the other kids can see this card but not the child wearing it. The child wearing the card has to guess the emotion written on the card. They can ask questions without using the actual emotion name. Instead, they have to do a facial or non-verbal demo related to the emotion. Then get a yes or no answer for it. For instance, Would I feel this (demo of the emotion or feeling) if I won this game? Or would I feel this (demo of the emotion or feeling) if I did not receive the gift I was promised? The other kids will then give a yes or no answer to these questions. The main player wins if they guess it right. Then the game moves on to the other players until all emotion cards are used. 

This game helps your kids connect emotions with facial cues. Your kids begin to understand and relate to the feelings of others. They start pinpointing emotions and becoming better at social settings. 

3. Cops and Robbers with a Twist

This is a play on the classic “Cops and robbers” game we all used to play in childhood. This fun group game helps your kids make split-second decisions and manage themselves better. Get two balls in different colors or shapes. Name one “Cop” and the other “Robber”. Stand your kids in a circle and give these balls to separate kids. The rule of the game is that these balls cannot be held for more than one second by a player. The next rule is that the cop has to catch the robber and the robber has to escape from the cop. 

This means that if a kid has the robber, they need to make a split-second decision of passing the ball in the opposite direction so it escapes the clutches of the cop. If they have the Cop ball, they have to pass the ball in the direction of the robber to catch it. A player gets a point if they catch the robber, i.e., pass the Cop ball to the kid holding the robber ball. The winner is the kid who gets the highest points at the end of the game. 

For other helpful tips for raising EI in your kids, click here: Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child

Final Thoughts

The emotional intelligence for kids does not differ much from that of adults. Learning about feelings and emotions to effectively manage them is the core of EI. With EI your kids create strong bonds, develop empathy and build social skills. Teaching EI to your kids prepares and equips them for the future. Use the games given above to teach your children EI. And teaching your kids EI also helps you learn more about yourself. So, start teaching your kids EI today and grow and evolve along with your kids.