Top 10 reasons why emotional intelligence is important for children

Most preschool programs are designed to nurture IQ often at the expense of EQ, yet research finds that IQ accounts for only 4% to 10% of success. Your child’s success in life hinges not only on their intellectual capacity but also on the ability to manage and control their emotions, among other factors. Hence, the importance of EQ-centric Montessori preschool at home can’t be overlooked given that IQ only contributes a fraction of success. But what exactly do children have to benefit from emotional intelligence and an EQ-centric foundation? Without further ado, let’s find out.

• EQ helps bolster self-awareness

The capacity to acknowledge and comprehend your emotions is what typically constitutes self-awareness. When children embrace emotional intelligence at an early age, they learn to:

• Watch how they think about others
• Be mindful of how they act around others
• And begin to express themselves better

As a result of that, your self-aware child will find it easier to relate with peers and build positive relationships that are conscious of others. Self-awareness also enables children to understand what they’re good at and where they fall short.

• It makes kids adaptable to change

The only ever constant in life is change. You may switch homes, schools, and towns, and without the right EQ foundation, your kids will be severely affected by these new conditions and find it hard to cope.

The right EQ foundation teaches children to keep an open mind, embrace change as an integral part of life, and hit the ground running in new surroundings. This makes for an essential skill that will see them through adulthood as well.

• Better emotion regulation

For young children, emotional control doesn’t always come easy. It’s not a skill we’re born with but something we have to learn over time. Due to temperament and innate personalities, emotion often gets the better of many children, leading to tantrums and episodes of acting out.

The great news is that you can teach EQ for better emotion regulation with a strategic selection of preschool activities at home namely,

• Balloon popping
• Roleplaying
• Breathing exercises

For more ideas on EQ-centric preschool learning at home, be sure to check out the Vaekke curriculum.

• Improved teamwork

Teamwork makes the dream work. In life, no man is an island, and success is often found in collaboration with others. Emotionally intelligent kids know how to not only play well with others, in more ways than one, but also put their best foot forward and make the most out of it.

They have good communication skills, as a result, are able to productively and positively respond to suggestions from others, and know to place their trust in the right people.

• Encourages kids to open up about depression

The CDC estimates that over 3.2% and 7.1% of children aged between 3 and 17 years suffer from diagnosed depression and anxiety, respectively. For most of these cases, children keep their feelings bottled up, leading to:

• Productivity dips
• Serious health issues
• Drug dependency
• Suicidal thoughts

An EQ-centric parent-child learning program creates a safe environment, where your kids can ask questions, and learn to healthily cope with stress.

• Helps toddlers develop empathy

It is intrinsic human nature to put our needs first, the same way self-preservation is hardwired into our survival matrix. Emotional intelligence learning enables children to fight this basic instinct and develop empathy towards others.

They learn not just to observe the world from their own perspective, but also how to put themselves in other people’s shoes and consider other people’s feelings, experiences and thoughts. This becomes an important mindset that contributes towards building more positive relationships, personal and otherwise.

• EQ enables kids to stand up for themselves

Emotional intelligence gives kids the wisdom to decipher right from wrong, and build an unwavering moral compass. This enables children to understand when:

• Someone doesn’t have good intentions
• Basic rights are being infringed
• They need to take a stance and how to stand up for themselves.

As a parent, we’d love to always be around to watch over our kids, but that isn’t always possible. With the right EQ upbringing, children learn to be independent and to defend themselves, so to speak.

• Enhanced self-control

Being a kid comes with many temptations, the height of which is gadget addiction. The proper EQ foundation gives children more control over their actions, enabling them to excel in a world full of distractions and temptations. They learn how to drown out the noise and increase their attention spans.

The Vaekke program is one great example of a device-free learning curriculum that helps children sharpen their thinkin and focus, without getting hooked to screens or falling into other unhealthy patterns.

• It teaches kids accountability

Mistakes happen. It’s how we react in the face of them that defines us. The dangers of unsupported EQ development can lead to accountability problems such as:

• Blame defection
• Refusal to communicate
• Defensiveness

On the other hand, well-developed emotional intelligence teaches kids to be transparent and to take responsibility for their actions, good or bad. Your kid will learn to spend more time resolving issues rather than shifting blame.

• Emotional intelligence leads to better grades

Being hardworking and smart, although important no doubt, is not enough for academic success. A study by the University of Sydney established that emotional intelligence leads to higher test scores and better grades overall.

Additionally, the same research finds that children who are in touch with their emotions tend to stay in school longer compared to their less EQ-developed counterparts. All the above is because emotionally intelligent children know how to manage disappointment, boredom, anxiety, and other factors that can build adverse learning atmospheres.

How to improve your child’s EQ

Ultimately, it’s key to remember that your children can only become what they see. Demonstrate compassion, empathy, kindness, and generally be a good example, and they’re sure to follow suit. For a structured, device free learning program that’s built around emotional intelligence, the Vaekke preschool program is an excellent option. It can give your child the necessary emotional foundation right from the offing and has loads of parent-child learning opportunities that nurture EQ while strengthening parent-child bonds.