It’s Valentines – Let’s Talk About Feelings!
With Valentines Day around the corner, February seems like just the right time to talk about feelings with the children at Montessori Learning Centre. Not just delivering cards to friends without any understanding of what it means to value the people in your life.
At Montessori Learning Centre, Emotional Literacy is an everyday part of the classroom:
- to express feelings and translate them into words
- to become empathetic individuals through kindness and compassion
It is not uncommon to find children having difficulty in expressing their emotion. They don’t know how to! Realistically, how many adults do we know that have the same challenge? Fostering Emotional Intelligence is one of the most important and long lasting things we can do to nurture a child’s well being. Not only does Emotional Literacy help the child in self regulation of their emotions, in expressing them but also is a life long skill or quality that becomes part of the child. Children with higher Emotional Intelligence have been known to have a more calmer and successful school life.
Montessori Learning Centre helps children aged 2 to 6 years identify emotions then learning how to manage and regulate these feelings and finally empathizing with others too. There are variety of ways that this is done at MLC. First it is important the child learns names of emotions. Group lessons through role play are integral to the process of teaching Emotional Literacy. Through fun activities the children at MLC become aware and mindful of their emotions. They learn to respond in a responsible manner while honoring their emotions.
Here are some ways you can foster emotionally literacy in your child:
Mind and Body Connection
Have family circle time at least once a week to discuss where each member of the family feels eg. Love, anger, sad, happy etc. Becoming aware of where in the body do we feel….. is a great start to self awareness.
Note: There is no right or wrong – no bad or good. Only honoring of emotions!
Management
There are numerous mindful exercises that the children practice at Montessori Learning Centre. A quick tip for parents is to practice breathing in the family circle time. Breathe and count 1, 2, 3. Breathing is amazing tool that not only shifts the emotional energy but also a great means to connecting with oneself. Besides research has shown it is quite impossible to breath and think at the same time!
Expressing Emotions
An effective way to show children emotions and name them is to role play situations and make faces matching emotions that come up in different situations. Again, a family circle is a great opportune time to do this.
Click here to view FEELINGS VOCUBULARY CARDS
Emotional Intelligence is one of the greatest gifts you can give as a parent.
Contact [email protected] (587 353 2888) for more information on Emotional Literacy. We offer parent coaching and support as well.
