Parents Session on ‘Nurturing Emotional Intelligence In Children’
‘Emotional Intelligence begins to develop in the earliest years. All the small exchanges children have with their parents, teachers & with each other carry emotional messages.’- Daniel Goleman
At Vikhe Patil Memorial School, Pune, School counselor Ms. Sucheta Mithari, under the guidance of Principal Mrinalini, conducted a session for parents of grade I, II & III on 9th July 2022.
A key objective of the session is to raise awareness among the parents that; a child’s emotional well-being is just as important as their cognitive and
physical development. Developing emotional intelligence is the foundation of all areas of child development, as children’s emotional health impacts their
growing-up experiences. Also, to equip parents with the skill to cultivate Emotional Intelligence within their children.
Parental involvement in the process of child’s emotional self-awareness, emotional regulation, and empathy was explained by the school counselor
using concrete and parents-friendly examples. Moreover, parents were encouraged to participate actively in the discussions.
Emotional intelligence can be fostered, nurtured & enhanced by parents through active involvement. By encouraging exchanging of experiences,
modeling, labeling emotions, motivating and valuing children’s efforts to know & manage their own emotions, having realistic achievable
expectations, providing them healthy environment to use emotionally healthy habits. The session also offered a few practical tips on how to build up your
child’s emotional intelligence muscle as well as what to avoid as a parent.
As responsible adults, parents learned how to take care of their own emotional well-being and influence their children positively. Participants were
also exposed to the detrimental effects of overprotection, comparison, and harsh words on their child’s sense of self-worth and emotional security.
As part of enhancing the skills of parents, we discussed concepts like assertive discipline, conditioning, and forming useful skills. In addition to
unconditional love, acceptance, and support, the emphasis was on expressing unconditional love to the wards.
Using a lively role play, the school counselor and special educator reinforced the concept of being an emotional coach to facilitate Emotional Intelligence
development process. During the session, parents gained a better understanding of what it means to be an emotional coach, different ways of
handling emotionally charged situations, and ways to work effectively with their children.
To conclude, the session touched on ways parents can fill their child’s bucket with EQ by addressing his/her emotional needs, validating their feelings, and
providing ‘I can’ experiences for their emotional development.
The keen interest shown by parents as they asked very relevant questions after careful listening and sharing of experiences. Also receiving verbal and
written appreciation indicated that the session was well received.
Ms. Sucheta Mithari
School Counsellor
Health and Wellness Department
