One study in 2007 by Morris and colleagues actually summarizes a lot of it quite concisely. While their empirical research focuses specifically on emotional regulation (ER), a lot of the principles can be applied more broadly to EI as a whole. Notably, that (Morris et al., 2007): The worry jar printable gives your child a sense of control over difficult emotions, and over time will instil a vital life skill: The ability to compartmentalise and manage worry by deliberately separating it from your mind. These activities are easy to do at home and are designed to help young children understand and express their feelings. Suited for kids of age four and upward, they have illustrated images of people expressing common emotions—fear, pain, happiness, joy, and so forth. They’re not entirely unlike a kids version of the visual cues that the MSC and other Emotional Intelligence tests often include for the perception of emotions.

We can't do it all for them but we can emotionally prepare them. 13 Feelings / Emotions Activities For Toddlers & Preschoolers That’s a little more complicated. We can teach and ask questions but how do we know they really understand? Start by explaining to your child what a worry jar is and how it can help them manage their worries and strong emotions. Another great resource from Childhood 101, this is a printable poster that highlights 5 steps which kids can use to regulate their emotions (Childhood101.com, 2019): If your child chooses to share the contents of the worry jar with you, it’s vital that you support them to explore their feelings without judgement. Of course older children may prefer to reflect on their worries alone and it’s important to respect this. Whether they share or not, over time this practice will help your child develop healthy emotional habits and cope with feelings like anxiety in a constructive way.The first worry MaeLynn had was that her friend Sophia would stop wanting to be her friend. MaeLynn’s mother encouraged her to write down this worry on a slip of paper and glue it on the worry box. They then talked about ways to approach the worry, such as talking to Sophia about how she was feeling. MaeLynn felt much better after putting her worry in the box and talking about it with her mother. An Emotions Toolkit is the perfect idea for little ones who need help expressing their emotions. Additionally, this will help teach them what emotions look and feel like. This kit includes a free printable! 6. Emoji Paper Plates by Natural Beach Living This great recipe adapted from HeartMindKids is simple, and only uses a few ingredients that are all easy to find at the store. What you will need to make a Glitter-Jar or a Mindfulness Jar While the child holds the bottle and watches the glitter settle, their hands and eyes will be brought to the middle of the jar, which will help center the nervous system. The slow descent of the glitter in the jar can act as a visual model that even unconsciously helps slow their heart rate and breathing. How to Use a Mindfulness Jar The Thoughts and Feelings Speaking Cards are a nice way for therapists, parents, and educators to prompt dialogue and help kids explore their feelings at a deeper level.

Children tend to act out their problems because they have less impulse control than adults. As adults, we learn to share our problems in words. When there are no words to be found, people look for other ways to show the connections they are feeling between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.These jars can also be used as a visual timer for short mindful breathing exercises. Many people prefer to take a few breaks during the day to gather themselves and depart from their everyday tasks. The Emotional Intelligence aspect of this game comes in where children take on the rule of a ‘guide’ for the characters that pop up on the screen. By helping these characters problem-solve or navigate different situations, they have to give them advice, helping them develop to interpersonal (and interpersonal) EI skills while doing so. Even as adults, pictures are very much more engaging than text, a lot of the time. Using images such as the My Emotions Wheel can make socio-emotional learning seem a lot less like homework. In short, the basics of Emotional Intelligence in children and adults are similar. It’s just that most of us have long forgotten the first time we acquired the most basic of these skills. Such as “ Wow, James feels differently than I do”. Please feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments. Or maybe you’ve got a resource you can tell us about, too?

By participating in these emotions activities for toddlers & preschoolers, you’re setting them up for possible situations. Childhood101.com. (2019). 5 Steps to Managing Big Emotions. Retrieved from https://childhood101.com/helping-children-manage-big-emotions/. Discuss worries: Encourage your child to open the worry jar and read what they’ve written down. Ask them how they’re feeling and if they have any actionable plans to handle their concerns. If the problem is solvable, you can create a simple action plan together. If it’s not, focus on empathising with your child’s feelings. You may not be able to “solve” the worry. That’s okay. Your child will feel heard and understood and their subconscious will be getting to work processing and managing the worry at a deeper level. Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Rodriguez, M. I. (1989). Delay of gratification in children. Science, 244(4907), 933-938. Empathy Charades is one nice example of Emotional Intelligence role play that you can use to help children develop empathy. Just like regular charades, it can involve two or more teams or individuals. Unlike regular charades, you don’t necessarily have to mime.

As kids develop these, they’re a logical precursor for the more sophisticated techniques of emotional management, social skills, and more. Role play is a great way to teach kids interpersonal skills such as empathy, emotional regulation, self-expression, and more. Even in kids with already-developed skills, role play allows them to practice, apply, and fine-tune what they already have. Hopefully some of the games, toys, and resources we’ve put together can be of practical use to you in the classroom, at home, or on the go—and hopefully, they’re fun, as well.