Boosting Emotional Intelligence: Activities to Help Your Child Express Feelings

We understand that learning how to express emotions is an important part of a child’s growth. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the ability to recognise, understand, and manage our own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. 

By fostering emotional intelligence from a young age, we help children develop the tools to communicate their feelings and build strong relationships. That’s why  we introduce fun and interactive activities into our daily routines that encourage children to explore and express their feelings. Here are some creative activities we use at JellyBeans Childcare to help children express their emotions in a healthy and constructive way. 

Exploring Emotions Through Art: Feelings Faces 🎨

One of the best ways for young children to express their feelings is through art. This activity allows children to draw and create faces representing their different emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, and more. This helps young learners to recognise and name emotions, making it easier for them to understand what they are feeling. As children create their own emotional faces, they also practice important motor skills, like cutting, colouring, and shaping. This activity not only promotes emotional awareness but also allows children to express themselves creatively. 

Learning Through Books: Storytime with Emotions 📚

During the recent ‘World Book Day’ celebrations at JellyBeans Childcare. Stories are a powerful tool for introducing children to different feelings and situations. One of the highlights was ‘The Gruffalo’ , a beloved classic that not only sparks imagination but also helps children understand the emotions of the characters, such as bravery, fear, and friendships. 

We then brought to life the story with a hands-on activity, making ‘The Gruffalo Crumble’. As the children mixed the ingredients, they discussed how the characters might feel at different points in the story. This sensory experience allowed the children to connect their emotional vocabulary with real-world actions. We not only celebrated World Book Day but also helped children develop emotional intelligence by recognizing, understanding, and expressing their feelings in a fun and engaging way. 

Acting Out Feelings: Emotion Charades 🎭

Emotion Charades is a fun activity where children act out different emotions while the others guess what they are feeling. This activity allows children to learn and identify emotions in themselves and others, while also enhancing social skills like empathy and communication. By using their bodies to express emotions, children also learn to control and regulate their feelings in a playful, non-verbal way. 

Writing and Drawing About Emotions 📖

We introduce the idea of ‘Feeling Journal’. Each day, children are encouraged to draw or write about how they feel. They might draw a picture of their happy day or share a story about something that made them feel sad. This activity allows children to reflect on their emotions and learn that it’s okay to feel different things throughout the day. Writing and drawing about feelings helps children practice self-expression, while also building their cognitive skills and emotional resilience. 

Using Puppets to Express Emotions 🐻🎭

Puppets are a great way to help children explore and express their emotions. This activity used to act out scenarios and encourage children to discuss how the characters feel in different situations. For example, a puppet might feel scared about going to the doctor or excited about a birthday party. This activity allows children to learn about empathy, as they relate to the puppet’s feelings and discuss their own emotions in similar situations. It’s a fun, engaging way to foster emotional awareness while building social skills. 

At JellyBeans Childcare, we believe that teaching children how to express their feelings is just as important as teaching them academic skills. By providing fun, hands-on activities that help children recognise, understand, and express their emotions. We lay the foundation for healthy emotional growth. These activities not only help children develop emotional intelligence but also promote empathy, self-regulation, and positive social interactions. 

We encourage parents and caregivers to continue these activities at home to continue nurturing emotional intelligence and helping children and helping children build strong, positive relationships as they grow.