Greetings

Hello everyone, welcome to our July newsletter! As always, we provide an overview of what is happening within our childcare community. This month, we will focus on  building emotional intelligence in early childhood.

Australian parents have reported higher instances of their child being dysregulated. This all boils down to low emotional intelligence in children which could’ve helped lessen dysregulation and helped them process their emotions better. So for this newsletter, we’re tackling how we can build emotional intelligence early on and help children become more empathetic and emotionally stable.

Building blocks of Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Developing EI in young children has several building blocks.

1. Self-awareness

This refers to recognising one’s own emotions. Starting from the basic emotions–interest, joy, surprise, anger, disgust, sadness, and fear, infants and children get attracted to or withdraw from pleasant/unpleasant stimuli. 

Activities to cultivate self awareness in young children include emotion charts, mirror play and emotion stories. Emotion charts in tandem with mirror play allows young children to recognise how basic emotions look like, especially on their face. Emotion stories then help children comprehend how other people experience and express emotions.

2. Self-regulation

Managing emotions is a difficult task to learn and master which even adults can have a hard time doing. That is why when children express their emotions, these manifest in big, bombastic ways, whether they squeal and scream in glee or stomp and shout in tantrums. 

As children learn about their emotions and recognise when it hits them, especially negative ones, self-regulation can help children manage their emotions and express it in less disruptive ways. Techniques such as breathing exercises, calm down kits to help children soothe themselves or mindfulness activities like listening to calming music are just a few ways to teach self-regulation.

3. Social skills

Learning how to interact with others in a positive way can help a child build and maintain meaningful relationships. From communicating clearly to cooperating with or resolving conflicts, young children’s social skills help them navigate life in a smoother process.

A childcare environment is a perfect, safe space where young children can develop, refine, and master their social skills such as role-playing different scenarios where children get to interact in a variety of social situations. Group activities help children learn cooperation and conflict resolution in order to achieve a common goal. And from their childhood educators and other adults and peers present, children learn to model the correct behaviour, using positive social interactions they see and experience.

4. Empathy

Understanding and sharing the feelings of others is a critical component of building emotional intelligence. It enhances children’s capacity for compassion and kindness. 

To foster empathy, children can share their stories of times when they felt certain emotions. This helps other children recognise how other people view and feel about the world around them. Helping others also boosts a child’s sense of empathy.

5. Motivation

Emotions are a strong force in our lives and if used correctly, can direct anyone to achieve their goals. Motivation also helps build optimism and perseverance in young children as they still have a lot of learning in front of them and obstacles to overcome.

To boost motivation in children, goal setting helps children work towards small, achievable goals which when put together results in motivational success. Positive reinforcement also encourages children to keep calm and carry on, focusing on the effort they expended rather than on the result. And when faced with failure, building resilience allows young children to bounce back, stand up on their feet and view setbacks as learning opportunities rather than disappointing failures.

Daily Activities to Help Build Emotional Intelligence

1. Storytime Highlighting Emotions

Choosing books and stories that highlight different emotions and discussing them with the children helps them familiarise themselves with how it manifests in them and other people.

2. Emotion-themed Projects

Using art helps children express their emotions, display how deeply they understand their emotional landscape and uncover hidden feelings they may have but are yet to understand.

3. Mindful Moments

As the world moves faster and faster, allowing time for mindful moments for children gives them reprieve from the hustle and bustle and rigidity of their schedules, giving them time to breathe a little bit more deeply, slow down and become more aware of their self, state, and surroundings.

The Challenges in Cultivating Emotional Intelligence

The common challenges childcare providers face in cultivating EI in young children in their care are

1. Limited time

There are just a finite number of minutes one can devote to cultivating emotional intelligence in young children.

2. Varied Developmental Stages

Emotional growth and development in children follow different timelines. Children in the same age group will never be in the same emotional stage and will have different emotional needs and support.

3. Cultural Differences

With multiculturalism, it can also add to the diversity of emotional expressions and needs of children from various backgrounds.

The Solutions to Challenges in Building Emotional Intelligence

Solutions that help childcare professionals become reliable stewards of emotional intelligence in young children can be the following.

1. Integrating EI into routine activities

Whether it’s asking which emotion they’re feeling at the start and end of childcare or raising the topic of emotion during storytime, incorporating EI elements helps childcare professionals instil EI learning points in children as they go about their routine.

2. Differentiated instruction

Given that children of the same age may be in different developmental stages, tailoring activities to suit a group of similarly developing children can help in bridging the gap between their emotional age and the lessons.

3. Inclusive practices

Having an inclusive environment that respects and celebrates cultural differences fosters a safe space where children can express themselves in a respectful manner.

The Takeaway

Cultivating emotional intelligence in young children is a crucial aspect for their development. It involves creating supportive environments, carving EI into daily routines, and continuously learning and adapting to meet the needs of all children. By building emotional intelligence in children at a very young age, children will grow into empathetic, resilient, and emotionally healthy & intelligent individuals.

0-12 month development

Babbling babies may be warming up for speech, say scientists

Author: Nicola Davis

Hearing your bubba squeal, giggle, and babble more often these days? That might just mean they’re practising their vocal control as a warm up for when they finally are able to mumble a few simple words. 

Read more about how babbling sounds help speech development for your baby here.

1-2 year development

Daily Screen Time Tied to Developmental Delays in Toddlers, Study Finds

Author: Shawn Radcliffe

Researchers have found that 1 year olds with a longer screen time are more at risk for developmental delays. These developmental delays can manifest in a child’s communication, problem-solving and social skills. Screen time were identified as access to TV, DVDs, video games, mobile phones, and tablets.

Read more about the study and research results about daily screen time affecting development here.

2-3 year development

Gentle ways to wean off the pacifier or thumb-sucking, from a paediatric dentist

Author: Dr. Fatina Shtivelman, DDS

Pacifiers or thumb-sucking become a young child’s security blanket as they grow older and face uncertainties. A pacifier can have a tremendous calming effect on a near-tantrum situation for an anxious toddler. However, as they get older and their baby teeth start to form, a paediatric dentist advises to start slowly phasing out their pacifier or thumb-sucking practice to prevent any teeth malformation. 

Read about the ways you can gently wean off your little one from their favourite pacifier here.

3-4 year development

We’re the ‘allergy capital of the world’. But we don’t know why food allergies are so common in Australian children

Authors: Jennifer Koplin and Desalegn Markos Shifti

Did you know that 1 in 10 Australian children develop an allergy within the first 12 months of their life? The allergies are mostly from food such as eggs, peanuts, cow’s milk, fish, tree nuts, shellfish, soybeans and even wheat. 

Researchers also found out that babies born in Australia to parents from Asia are more likely to develop allergies than non-Asian children. 

Learn more about Australian children’s food allergies and how you can prevent them from having so many food allergies here.

4-5 year development

Parents are increasingly saying their child is ‘dysregulated’. What does that actually mean?

Authors: Cher McGillivray and Shawna Mastro Campbell

When children are overwhelmed and overloaded, it leads to tantrums or outbursts. Recently, parents have reported more challenging behaviour in their children when it comes to big emotions. 

Young children feeling big emotions have a lot of learning to do when it comes to managing their emotions. However, it is up to the parent to create an emotional climate that allows for a child to learn how to regulate their emotions.

Learn more about how you can help your child manage their emotions better here.

Soap and Pepper Experiment: How soap works

A sensory STEM experiment, gather your curious kids and show them how soap works. With ground pepper acting as the visual aid for germs, show children how soap works in making germs go away. Don’t forget to remind kids to be very careful around their eyes.

Find out more about this soap and pepper experiment here.

Build A Hand Crank Winch

Teach recycling, creativity, and systematic thinking all in one activity by building a hand crank winch using recycled materials. This activity will have young tots build a simple machine, explore how it works and try it firsthand.  

Get the process on how to build a hand crank winch here.

Preschool Counting: How Many Drops to Fill the Dot?

Children can make their own circles, mix and measure, and count how many drops it takes to fill a circle. This simple activity requires common materials such as food colour, water, glasses and eye dropper.

See teaching points you can use with this STEM activity here.

Colour Taste Test–Do You Taste with Your Eyes?

This sensory stem experiment will let kids explore and discover how our sight affects our taste. By changing the colour of their favourite, see how kids change their perception of how their favourite drink tastes like. 

Find discussion points about this colour taste test here.