Growing Your Child's Emotional Intelligence - Ages 5-7 (page 6)

Emotional Intelligence is a wide range of skills that children of all ages can develop and improve. These skills are critical for emotional well-being and life success. This Activity Guide is designed to give you additional age appropriate resources that are helpful in teaching your child about emotions. The emotional and social skills that are presented were written in order to help you grow your child.

Seeds of Kindness

Do a coloring sheet with kindness words on a card. Cut out the words and paste them on construction paper to give to someone. Here are some examples to start with: Love, thoughtfulness, joy

Collect words of love, kindness, happiness, caring, appreciation from family members, friends, classmates, teachers. Write the words you have collected around a pciture. Then try to make it a habit of saying something kind to at least one person everyday.

1. How many words were you able to write by yourself?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. How many “seeds of kindness” did you collect from other people?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Keep a list for one month of whom you said something kind to each day.

How Do I Feel About Myself?

Everyone has feelings. Sometimes I am happy, or sad, or mad, or excited, or scared. Look into a mirror. Make faces showing how you feel when:

a. you are eating an ice cream cone
b. your friend can’t come over to play
c. you go on vacation
d. you play with your pet

Feeling Left Out

All of us have been left out of a game or conversation when we really wanted to be included. What if your brothers/sisters went to the movies and you couldn’t go because you were sick? Answer the following questions and share your thoughts with an adult.
Circle your answer:

How did you feel when you were left out?
a. Sad      b. Mad        c. Hurt

Nobody likes to be left out. What can you do to make sure that someone is not being left out?

a. play with them on the playground at school
b. invite them to your birthday party
c. ask them to go with you and your friends to a ballgame

Here are some ideas to help you start being a part of the group:

• Let others know you would enjoy doing things with them.
• Invite them to do things with you.
• Show interest in what they are doing

Expressing Myself

It is okay to tell other people what I like and what I do not like. Color the picture below, and then circle your favorite thing to do.

There are times when it’s important to say, “NO!” Make a list of people you should talk with to help you make right decisions.
a. ______________________________
b. ______________________________
c. ______________________________

Making Decisions

Making decisions on our own is an important part of growing up. It makes us feel better about ourselves when we do something useful or do something for someone else. Here is a list of things for you to choose to do. Decide if you would or would not do each thing.

• Call someone a name
• Send Grandma a birthday card
• Blame someone else for something you did
• Ask a friend to lie about something
• Tell someone you don’t like them
• Say “Thank you” when given a gift
• Take the biggest piece of cake
• Do your chores without being asked

I Can Do That!

Being able to do things without help makes us feel good about ourselves. Sometimes it is something we can learn through lessons and practice, like dance or music or sports. Sometimes it is doing things to help others.
Think about some things that you are learning to do by yourself. Write them on the lines below.
EXAMPLE:
a. Feed my pet
b. ______________________________
c. ______________________________
d. ______________________________
e. ______________________________

Always Learning and Growing

As we grow, we learn there are always new things that are interesting and meaningful for us. Trying new skills and learning new talents will help us feel good about ourselves and encourage us to do better. What are some things that interest you that you would like to do better? For example: Reading

Write a Note 

It’s nice to make someone you know feel special. Make a card with a one-sentence message on it.
EXAMPLE: Happiness is having you for a brother.
You are a good friend because _______________________
You are special because _____________________________
Thank you for _______________________________________
Happiness is having you for a brother.

How Others Feel

Understanding how others feel helps us get along with others. Before doing something to someone else, we should think about how it would make us feel if someone did the same thing to us.

Circle YES or NO for each question below.

Would you like it if someone…

• teased you? YES NO
• called you a name? YES NO
• pushed you out of line? YES NO
• broke your favorite plaything? YES NO
• laughed when you made a mistake? YES NO
• blamed you for something you didn’t do? YES NO
• took your share of something? YES NO

Playing Your Part

Have you ever been in a school play? Every actor has to practice their part and work along with others who are in the play. It takes lots of practice. Sometimes we make mistakes, but that’s when we take a deep breath and try again. Think of some ways you can practice being nice or respectful or more helpful. Finish each sentence below.

EXAMPLE: I can do better in my town by not throwing trash on the ground.
I can do better at school, if I ________________________________.
I can do better at home, if I __________________________________.
I can do better with my friend, if I ____________________________.

Making Friends

Learning how to get along with others is important. Think of some other words about a good friend and write them on the lines:

EXAMPLE: Bravery
_____________ _____________
_____________ _____________
_____________ _____________

Choose one of the words that you wrote and make a poster about the word. You will need construction paper, crayons or colored pencils.

One of a Kind

Did you know that is what you are? There is no one else in the world exactly like you. That is true for everyone and even for animals and nature. Even though we are all different, there are things we can enjoy and learn from each other. Do you sometimes feel strong like a horse? or brave like a lion?
Make a list of the different feelings you have about yourself:
a. EXAMPLE: full of energy
b. ______________________
c. ______________________

Stretching Our Abilities

Changes will happen as we grow up. We can use those changes to learn new things. What if you and your parents had to move to another country because of their work? Would you feel scared because you will have to go some place where you’ve never been before? Would you feel unhappy because you’ll have to leave your friends? You may have these feelings, but they don’t have to last. Think of the interesting things that could do. You could learn a new language, like “Welcome” in French, You could make new friends. You could see new places. The important part is that we are willing to learn and grow,
Think about moving to a new place and finish the sentences below.

I would feel __________________________________________
I would want to see ____________________________________
I would want to write a letter to____________________________
I would learn_________________________________________

Changing Times

 There are times in our lives when our experience will change.Maybe you and your family will move to a new home and you will need to change schools and leave your friends. Change is not easy, but if we think about making new friends and learning new things we will have a much better experience.
Think of ways you can make a new experience interesting:

a. EXAMPLE: Write a letter to your friends at your old school.
b. _________________________________________________.
c. _________________________________________________.
d. _________________________________________________.
e. _________________________________________________.

Resolving Conflict

Have each child make a hand puppet. Once this activity is complete—have them role-play using the puppet.  Examples that they may role-play:

• Responsibility: Brother/sister picking up their toys.
• Sharing: One puppet says this is my toy and pushes the other puppet away.

Group Activity: Have the puppets take turns talking about what is happening between the two puppets and emphasize the listening skill for the other puppet. Ask that each puppet come up with an answer. Then choose which one is best.