As we plough through these testing times there is one thing we should be grateful for and that is – family. Spending more time with our children and spouses and deepening family bonds is always on our list or kept aside for vacations. However, presently we are given a rare opportunity to spend quality time with our family and make the conversations meaningful and compassionate building relationships for life.
Following are some ideas for activities with children to discover, develop and deepen their empathy and emotional intelligence. The importance being that these skills help them regulate their own feelings and understand others better leading to stronger healthier happier relationships.
Skill 1: Knowing and understanding your feelings
1. Use Baby Albums: Show your children their baby pictures and ask them to identify the different emotions. They will love to see their own pictures and read their various types of expressions!
2. Building a feeling vocabulary: They may know what it feels like but they need a name! Make cards or lists with various emotions written on them like agreeable, angry, anxious, brave, calm, capable, caring, cheerful, comfortable, confident, confused, content, curious, depressed, disgusted, distracted, ecstatic, embarrassed, enjoying, enraged, excited, fantastic, fearful, friendly, frustrated, generous, gentle, gloomy, guilty, happy, hurt, ignored, impatient, insecure, interested, jealous, joyful, lonely, lost, loving, overwhelmed, panicked, peaceful, proud, relaxed, relieved, sad, safe, satisfied, scared, sensitive, serious, shy, stressed, tense, thrilled, troubled, uncomfortable, worried.
3. Share your day: At dinner, eat together with no digital devices on the table and share your day! You can pick the emotions given on top or smiley pictures for younger ones and put them in a basket. Let your kids pick the kind of day they had and share their feelings!
Scroll down to know more about the other skills you can hone in your kids this season.
Mansi Zaveri
Dr Vihan Sanyal
KSP Team
Janani S Koushik
Parul Gupta
