Does Your Child Have Eq (Emotional Intelligence)?

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Does Your Child Have EQ (Emotional Intelligence)? – Three to Four Years Old

Your child’s emotional intelligence – that is, his awareness of his own feelings and those of other people, and the competent way that he controls and manages these emotions – makes a significant contribution to his happiness. An emotionally intelligent child has an honest awareness of his moods and is reasonably capable of controlling them. At the same time, he is sensitive to the varying feelings of those around him, whether children or adults. This emotional harmony and understanding raises your child’s sense of well-being and contentment. That’s why emotional intelligence (also known as EQ) is so important.

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Teach Your Children Emotional Intelligence

As with virtually all psychological traits, your three-years-old level of EQ is almost certainly a combination of the sensitivity he was born with, the emotional skills that he learns while growing up, and the interaction between these innate and acquired abilities. So the fact that some children seem to be born with more potential for EQ then others does not mean that potential is fixed. Parenting, family life experiences at home and in school, are relationships with friends and siblings all play a part. To some extent, you can teach your children emotional intelligence.

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Talk about How You Feel

There are many dimensions of emotional intelligence that you instinctively encourage your child to develop, like self-control over his temper, a positive attitude to life, confidence in him-self, a high level of motivation and empathy for others. Each of these individual characteristics is important. However, perhaps most helpful strategy you can implement at home to encourage your four-years-old emotional development is teaching him to express his feelings through words, rather than behavior.

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A younger child often has more difficulties verbalizing his feelings than an older child, largely because the formers language skills are less advanced. That’s why you may need to give him lots of time and support when encouraging him to talk to you about emotional topics. Let a child aged three or four years know that you want to know what he feels, explain that you will help him put his emotions into words, and be patient as he slowly learns to express him-self through spoken instead of body language.

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Listen To What Your Child Has To Say

Aim to generate a “listening” environment at home, one in which your child is able to express his feelings in the full knowledge that he will be listened to, and encourage discussions about emotions.

Although you cannot force your child to have a more mature level of EQ, there is evidence from research that suggests that EQ can be enhanced by creating a home framework around the child that recognizes the importance of understanding each others feelings. Your child’s emotional development continues through the early years and into adolescence – this means your input during these formative years counts. If he becomes sensitive, caring and thoughtful towards others during childhood, he is likely to continue to be like that as an adult.

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The Same Potential for EQ

There are gender differences in respect to EQ. For instance, girls tend to have more empathy and understanding and are also more aware of the emotional dimensions of friendships compared to boys. Yet boys are generally more effective when it comes to coping with stress. Also, they typically have higher levels of self-confidence. Psychologists claim that girls and boys have the same potential for emotional intelligence, but that their strengths lie in different areas.