Emotional intelligence in children is a topic that is all the rage these days, and for good reason. Building your child’s emotional intelligence, or emotional quotient (EQ), is a key factor in establishing effective communication skills. 

And for any Mom who has had to scrape her toddler off the floor at Target mid-tantrum, effective communication skills are an obsession as strong as refreshing the Danizo website for new tees to buy.

Emotional intelligence is a person’s ability to identify, evaluate, control, and express emotions.” It Is what helps us to develop clear thought patterns, communicate with others, and negotiate situations when necessary.

According to South Florida Psychotherapist Tamara Filgueiras, LCSW, “Teaching appropriate communication skills is essential to developing emotional intelligence in children. Everyday conversation between a parent and a child presents a great opportunity for parents to model and teach children how to practice self-control, regulate emotions, focus, as well as how to be present when engaging with others. From teaching them how to pay attention, notice verbal and non-verbal cues, to showing compassion, and appropriate manners, children begin to harness necessary emotional, mental, behavioral, and social skills that will continue to serve them throughout their lives.”

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