EQ vs IQ: Why Emotional Intelligence Will Take Your Kid Further

Every parent wants the best possible start in life for their children. That’s why many parents choose to place their child in a reputable early learning facility, such as this early learning in Lower North Shore.

But, you mustn’t over-focus on intellectual education when emotional intelligence is at least as important. In fact, research suggests emotional intelligence may even be more important for success in life.

Unfortunately, most educational facilities focus on intellectual education, which means you’re the one that needs to focus on emotional intelligence.

Emotional Control

A child can get away with having a tantrum in the middle of your local supermarket, an adult can’t. Developing emotional intelligence means you can control your emotions because you know the effect they have on others around you. It also encourages you to understand how emotions are important and when it is relevant to display them.

People with emotional control are better able to focus on issues and are likely to be more productive, helping them to go further in life. In effect, they know the difference between when to work and when to play.

Social Awareness

Emotional intelligence also leans that you’re capable of social interactions. That’s important whether you want to be the leader of the free world or simply get along with your colleagues in whatever job you’ve chosen.

In fact, being socially aware is instrumental in every part of your life. At its basic level, it gives you the opportunity to make friends and enjoy life.

In short, emotional intelligence allows you to interact with others. That means you’ll be able to gain quality of life and satisfaction with what you’ve achieved. You can’t reach the same level of achievement just by being very smart. 

The perfect example of this is actually the reverse scenario. Incredibly smart people are often lacking in emotional intelligence and empathy for others. This shows in the level of isolation they experience and their dedication to work.

While they are high achievers it is easy to argue that the emotional intelligent has a better quality of life because their experience is more rounded

Teaching EQ

It is possible to improve EQ in children and even adults. 

The first stage is in helping children identify the range of different emotions. From this, they can learn to control them and their response to specific situations. 

Sometimes this can be done by undertaking certain situations repetitively. In other cases, it’s simply a case of showing the child the consequences of their actions. 

It’s also important to encourage your children to read. This allows them to understand social interactions and morality from a safe place. But, at the same time, they are improving their emotional intelligence, making them better prepared for adult life.

One thing that every parent should do is ensure their child spends time with other children. These interactions will build social skills and emotional intelligence simply by learning acceptable behavior patterns, early childhood education centers are the perfect place to start this stage of development.