10 Games to Enhance Children's Emotional Intelligence

Children's Well Being Activities

Want some fun emotional intelligence games? EI is the ability to deal with positive and negative emotions in a healthy and constructive manner.

It is the promotion of good social skills, compassion and being a good listener. Enhancing a child's EI develops important skills from the start of their lives.

To enhance EI is also a way to help your child become an well adjusted and happy adult. So what are some games and activities that can enhance these skills, whether at home or in the classroom? Here are 10 popular suggestions.

Emotional Intelligence Games

One games is to teach the names of each emotion to a child. This encourages them to share what they are feeling. It also gives the parent a way to explain their own feelings.

Caution should be taken that the child not become a confidant to difficult or complex emotional situations. Set a good example on how to label and share feelings.

Throw Away
This exercise can be done in the classroom setting, or at home with the family or siblings. Give each child a piece of paper (it is more fun if its colored paper!) and have it taped onto their back.

Each person then writes a positive trait or quality they appreciate in that one. Once each person has their completed list, remove the paper and have each one read their list aloud.

Read books
This is encouraged of course, anyway. The books specifically recommended are those dealing with emotions or emotional or stressful situations (for children).

Help the child to understand the character and how the character deals with the stress. Aid the child to apply similar principles in dealing with their own feelings of anxiety or stress.

Adaptability exercises and games can help young ones learn to adjust to different circumstances. For example creating I-Statement worksheets (examples can be found online) allows a child to express how they feel, why and what they would like from the other person.

Use circle time games
This gives everyone, in the family or at school, an opportunity to be seen and heard. It teaches respect of others opinions and views and each feels valued and respected in turn.

Celebrate success
If your young one keeps his cool during a trying situation, praise him! Build their confidence and encourage a positive attitude.

Work together to solve puzzles
This enhances their ability to work cooperatively and in group settings.

Role play and improv Assign a child to act out different emotions while the others try to guess which one he/she is.

Create an emotional collage Have the child pick out photos of himself/herself and explain what emotion they were feeling in the picture.

Art activities Give the child an array of paints or crayons and ask them to draw what they feel. Ask which colors best represent different emotions. Have them paint it out.

Enhancing the EI of a child is an important part of the growing process. Enjoy these games that will prove not only fun, but beneficial for your little ones.
More Great Articles