1 |FIVE-
SECOND RULE
TEACH YOUR KIDS
TO PAUSE
“Kids are impulsive
by nature and when
unchecked, they can
become impulsive
adults,” says Aleasa
Word, certified
emotional intelligence
coach, who suggests
teaching children to
stop and think about
how they feel before
they act. Explain the
importance of taking
five seconds to respond
to anything, unless
it’s an emergency.e
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2 |TALK
IT OUT
ENCOURAGE
CONVERSATION
“Have mandatory
family-talk time,”
advises Tom
Kersting, licensed
psychotherapist and
author. “The average
parent spends three
and a half minutes per
week in meaningful
conversation with their
children. Make it a rule
for the whole family
to sit together for at
least 15 minutes per
night and, well, talk.”3 |WITH
OPEN ARMS
ACCEPT YOUR
CHILD’S EMOTIONS
“Feelings are neither
right nor wrong—they
just are, and everyone
is entitled to them,
including your child,”
says author Harvey
Deutschendorf.
“Encourage them
to express their
feelings through
questioning.
For example, if
they look sad
and aren’t
speaking,
you could ask, ‘You
look down today; did
something happen?’
Never pass judgment
or doubt their feelings.
For them, their feelings
are real and authentic.”4 |A MATTER
OF TRUST
HELP YOUR CHILD
SORT IT OUT
Children of all ages
may struggle to put
words to the emotions
they’re experiencing.
“You can help them by
suggesting—but never
telling them—what
they might be feeling,”
Deutschendorf says.
“You could share
your feelings if you
experienced a similarsituation, thereby
encouraging your
child to open up
and trust you
with her feelings.”5 |JUST
IMAGINE
TEACH EMPATHY
THROUGH
AWARENESS
Talking with your kids
about the emotions of
others is a great way
to build a foundation
for developing
empathy. “When your
child talks about
something happening
at school to someone
else, for instance,
ask them to imagine
how that person
felt,” Deutschendorf
says. Don’t forget to
demonstrate empathy
when talking about it
in front of your kids.GOOD
FEELINGS
7 EQ-BOOSTING TIPS
One of the most important things
you can do for your child is help
them manage their emotions.
Here are seven expert tips to raising
emotionally intelligent children.