Why emotional learning is so important for your kids

With technology becoming faster and more efficient than ever before, and the current generation’s lifestyle pacing faster, it is clear that the next generation will have to meet the demands of this fast-paced lifestyle, as well as the competitiveness and conflict that it brings with it. Success for this new generation will be defined not only by academic excellence or mastery of a specific art form, but also by their ability to navigate life and its many elements while forming healthy new relationships and maintaining old ones all the while taking care of themselves too.

This is where instilling emotional learning at a young age becomes their life’s anchor. Emotional learning is the process of developing self-awareness, self-control, and the ability to manage interpersonal skills that are required for success in their career, social circles, and life overall. In a significant 2011 paper, researchers completed one of the largest and most comprehensive reviews of Social-Emotional Learning. They examined 213 studies involving over 270,000 children and discovered that participation in Social-Emotional Learning programs improves students’ academic achievement, among other things. It also has a long-term impact on children and school communities.

In today’s world, where academic excellence does not always imply holistic development for your child, emotional learning bridges that gap and promises a successful and fulfilling career and life outside of it. In simple terms, emotional learning entails being intimate with oneself, practicing introspection, self-regulation, and being aware of emotions, which leads to improvement and proves beneficial in various areas of your child’s life.

For starters, Emotional Learning enables your child to comprehend not only their own feelings but also the feelings of those around them, allowing them to empathize more effectively and form stronger bonds. Another benefit of Social Emotional Learning is that it increases their self-esteem. It prepares your child for times when they will face difficulties and makes them quick to act when the situation calls for it.

Emotional learning also equips children with the skill and incentive to follow through on academic or personal promises and commitments made to others as well as to oneself. Another crucial positive impact of Emotional intelligence and learning is that it essentially makes up the image of how kids will regard themselves for the rest of their lives, which is a better, strong, and independent self-image.

As youngsters grow older they are met by demands from different aspects of life, ranging from academics and extracurricular activities to interpersonal relationships with family and peers. Emotional learning can assist children in dealing with these situations with ease and be prompt in finding solutions to problems on their own.

Social-emotional learning also facilitates your child’s opportunities to express themselves through many forms of art, such as music, painting, poetry writing, and so on. This artistic expression of oneself makes it easy for them to choose a career route in their lives later on.

Another advantage of emotional learning for children is that it greatly enhances their communication skills because they are both better at naming emotions and interpreting feelings and sentiments at all times. They are also better at articulating and keeping track of their thoughts and opinions on various topics.

Children who lack self-control are more likely to have outbursts and fight with other children. They may also struggle with delaying personal satisfaction because they haven’t learned to manage their emotions and thoughts. This is where emotional learning in children comes in handy to resolve such occasions of outbursts.

Children become more conscious and mindful human beings when they establish self-control and self-awareness through emotional learning in them. Being more attentive and present keeps a variety of mental health disorders at bay which is an inevitable part of adolescence. It strengthens their grasp on emotions as well as instills in them a strong coping mechanism for when they are confronted with any mental health issues.

Therefore it’s necessary for parents and teachers of young kids to create an environment at home or at school that encourages and supports innovative and exciting ways of bringing emotional learning into the curriculum of the everyday lives of these children so that it becomes a part of and shapes their identity as emotionally intelligent human beings.