Promoting kids’ knowledge of their own and others’ emotions

Children communicate through expressions of emotion, which is our first language universally. Knowing one’s own and others’ emotions, as well as regulating them, is what is known as emotional competence or, in common parlance, emotional intelligence. Caregivers and early childhood educators are crucial in promoting the growth of these skills. A new review article published in International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy examines the effects emotional competence might have in a child’s life and development, and how that skill can be supported and enhanced through school programs.