Written by, Kalpita
10th Mar 2025
Looking To Invest in an Emotionally Intelligent Parenting (EIP) Mindset?
You are at the right place. Let’s get right to it! Get A.R.M.E.D. and Power ON for life:
A. is for Awareness: Teach Emotional Vocabulary
Help your child develop a rich emotional vocabulary as early on as you can. The more words they hear and have, the better they are able to understand and describe feelings.
Try this:
On your next drive or family game night, play "Emotion Charades" - where family members act out different feelings that others can guess. Get Aware!
R. is for Regulation: Create an Emotional Safe Space
There are no wrong emotions! Encourage free expression of all feelings. Listen to your child's emotions and don't turn down their feelings, even when you do not agree with the reaction.
Try this:
When your child is upset about something, instead of avoiding those feelings, you can say, "I see you are feeling ______about _______ . It's okay to feel that way. Let's think of ways we can make this better." Get to Regulate!
Even preschoolers can learn simple, fun, and engaging mindfulness techniques that help build emotional awareness.
Try this:
On your next walk about, play the "Feelings Magnet" game with your child. Ask them to pause, turn on their "magnetic" powers to attract feelings and become aware of what they see, hear, smell, and feel. Stay Aware!
M. is for Motivation: Use Storytelling and Role Play
Books and pretend play are highly effective methods to experience a wide range of emotions and imagine coping skills. Trying on various perspectives and learning to empathise with others can be done in a protected setting.
Try this:
For your next bedtime duty, read "The Gruffalo" together and discuss the emotions that the mouse may have felt at any time during his story. Encourage your child to mime being brave like the mouse. Voices and accents add the fun element, but more importantly the feels - Get Motivated!
E. is for Empathy: Practice Perspective-taking
Encourage your child to reflect upon the feelings of others. This develops their sense of empathy and awareness of social feelings.
Try this:
While watching their favourite show, stop and ask curiously, "How do you think that character feels right now? Why?" Get Empathetic!
D. is for Demonstration: Model Emotional Intelligence
Young children’s mantra has always been as basic as “Watch and Do”. Thus, when parents demonstrate talking about their feelings and the healthy expression of all emotions regarding those feelings, children will magically internalise such behaviors in no time - the good as well as the not-so-good ones!
Try This:
Next time, you can’t find your mobile phone, show you are upset by saying "I am feeling frustrated because I am unable to find my phone. Ummm…Let me think.. When did I use it last?” Get to Demonstrate how you calmly retrace your steps!
In this way, investing your time and energy into the development of emotional intelligence during these early, foundational years can be game changers. Remember, the goal here is not to take away those “not-so-good” feelings but rather to help your children learn how to recognise, acknowledge, and deal with their feelings in healthier ways. This investment in EI during their tender age sets them on the paths of emotional awareness, social competence, and resilience in addressing the challenges offered by school, relationships, and later at work. So, let’s all Get A.R.M.E.D. for an Emotionally Intelligent Parenting (EIP) Mindset, TODAY!
