You must have come across people who topped every exam but failed to settle in their careers? You must also have noticed the guy who just scraped through his exams going great guns in all aspects of life. Why do you think there was a sudden twist in their life? The answer is emotional intelligence.
Yes, research has shown that no matter what your IQ is, it‘s the emotional intelligence that ultimately matters. The way you react to people and circumstances takes you to the TOP or drop you into the VALLEY. What’s interesting here is that these social skills are formed as early as the age of 3 in children.
So, how your three year old deals with hers friends, reacts to her disappoints and manages her anger predicts his social and academic performance. A study was conducted by a team of researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) on the impact of Early Head Start (EHS), a national intervention and support program for income-eligible families and provides comprehensive services to families until the child is three years old.
It was found that three year old children of the EHS program performed better than their peers when it came to social and emotional skills, language skills and cognitive development. The observation continued until the kids were five year old. They noted that the five year olds had less behavioral problems and had a more positive approach to learning.
What this means is that parents play a role in creating these social skills in the early stages of childhood. According to newhorizons, these are some tips parents could follow to raise a happy, confident and a secure child.
1. become aware of the child’s emotion;
2. recognize the emotion as an opportunity for intimacy and teaching;
3. listen empathetically, validating the child’s feelings;
4. help the child find words to label the emotion he is having; and
5. set limits while exploring strategies to solve the problem at hand.
Happy parenting!
