Tips to hone the emotional skill of a child

In the Indian academic scenario, all the stakeholders – from parents and facilitators to students – are much invested in academic development that results in better grades and career-driven success of students. However, we fail to notice an imbalance here. Unfortunately, we expect intelligent people to act only rationally, without emphasising the need for them to be compassionate. 

Along with critical thinking and other well-known gross motor skills which involve physical activities and movements, it is important to hone a learner’s social and emotional skills to ensure their holistic development. As a parent, it is important to raise a child to be both logically and emotionally intelligent.

Since the home is a child’s first school the knowledge they acquire there plays an important role in their development. Thus, parents can hone a child’s emotional skills by taking little steps. In this blog, we will list some tips for parents to develop their child’s emotional and social skills.

• Try talking to your child about their feelings. While striking a conversation, ask them about the reasons behind their actions. For example, ‘You are not concentrating on studies today. Are you alright? How are you feeling?’ Let the child know that you are concerned about them.
• If your child is trying to tell you a story or describe an incident that happened at school, try paying attention to it. We all feel appreciated and valued when our thoughts are acknowledged and our loved ones listen to us. It will teach them how to pay heed to others’ emotions as well. 
• You can also use situations outside of your home to instil emotional intelligence in your child. Talk about others’ emotions and show empathy towards people who belong to our society. For example, you could say, ‘Look at the traffic police. I wonder how hard-working they are. They streamline the traffic irrespective of heat, cold and rain.’ Such statements can help your child to think about others. 

Emotional intelligence cannot be attained in a snap. With gradual practice and small efforts, a parent can raise an emotionally and socially smart and intelligent kid who can reciprocate to the situations that demand sensibility with empathy and emotion.