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Keeping a Journal : Writing Tips and Ideas for Children to Develop Emotional IntelligenceKeeping a journal is a great way of expressing emotions. The skill of using emotional literacy will be developed as well as better self awareness and self reflection.Sometimes we are not aware of our feelings and yet they influence us so much in our everyday lives. By encouraging your child to write in a journal this self awareness. will be begin to develop. Journal writing can help children by freeing internal
stress.
When we hold onto powerful emotions without expressing them, internal stress develops in our minds and bodies. Journal writing can help children to understand their emotions and feelings while experiencing a release of stress. Keeping a journal about personal problems is known to help people by allowing for a release of the negative feelings surrounding the situation. Therapeutic writing entails writing about the emotions, feelings and views surrounding a stressful incident. In fact, research shows that keeping a journal for short periods of time for several days in a row can lead to outcomes such as better sleeping habits, better attention in school and less complaints of feeling sick. Developing emotional literacy is a key part of journal writing. By using the
emotional word bank
to use a variety of feeling words, children will develop their skills in communicating about their emotions.
1. Provide children with a blank writing journal to start. 2. Give students a quote and ask them to respond in their journals. Discussion about the meaning of the quote will help to enhance this activity. 3. A list of suggested quotes can be found below. Anger Quotes “Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody's power, that is not easy.” Aristotle “Choose, The single clenched fist lifted and ready, Or the open hand held out and waiting. Choose: For we meet by one or the other.” Carl Sandburg “He who angers you conquers you”. Elizabeth Kenny “Anger is one letter short of danger.” ~Author Unknown “People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing.” ~Will Rogers Happiness quotes “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” Albert Schwietzer “To live happily is an inward power of the soul.” Aristotle “Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have”. Unknown True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. Helen Keller You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation. Bette Davis Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords. Samuel Johnson Envy, Jealousy quotes “The grass is always greener on the other side” Unknown “Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.” Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism “Love looks through a telescope, envy looks through a microscope” Josh Billings Use these quote and keeping a journal will become a natural process for your child and will help develop their emotional intelligence.
Additionally, quotes related to team building from Teambuilding Leader . are very useful for these exercises. Keeping a journal with a response to literature is another great way to inspire journal writing in children.In this instance children will respond the the emotions and feelings of book characters and write about their own feelings in relation.
Here are some other links you may enjoy:
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Emotional Intelligence Resources |