Emotional Intelligence for Children

“The key here is ‘understanding emotions’. Having to rely on instant interactions gives no space for reflection or asking why people behave in the way that they do. A book provides emotional rehearsal time.” ~John MacArthur

 When I read these stats, I wasn’t surprised, but I also did a little research on this post. Apparently, the data is a bit dodgy in that it seems the numbers given don’t quite match up with the original study.  There’s more information about that here from the original creator of the infographic.

Whatever.

The point behind the graphic is valid. I happen to know a little something about literacy, fluency, emotional development, and academic trauma. What I know is substantiated over and over by research stats that aren’t dodgy.

Reading to your children, allowing your children to “catch” you reading, leaving heaps of books around in various stages of consumption, and encouraging your children to read by having family no-technology-books-only nights has a profoundly positive effect on your child’s development, cognitively, psychologically, and emotionally.

As my friend, John, points out in his great quote, books allow emotional processing time. They also encourage imagination, problem solving, out-of-the-box thinking, vision casting, and opportunity to be transported to far away lands and fantastical circumstances.

Reading aloud to your children, regularly facilitates literacy, develops fluency, fosters relationship, and has absolutely no downside.

Not. A. Single. One.

Can’t say that about many other activities.

As the amazing Dr. Seuss says, “Oh the places you’ll go!”

Do yourself a favour. Do your children a bigger favour.

Read! Read! Read!

Interesting stuff on the same topic…

• What Dr. Seuss Was Really Thinking (wholesalehalloweencostumes.com)
• Encouraging children to be life long readers (mwright0198.wordpress.com)
• Identifying Emotions and Learning Empathy, Part 1 (growingseedsblog.com)

And lastly, click here for a worthwhile blog post on “ridiculous educational practices” involving reading.