Phones, computers and tablets are an integral part of society and the lives of our children. Through judicious use, gadgets can help develop emotional intelligence, but for this, you need to remember a few important rules.
What is emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to recognize emotions, understand their cause, and show empathy. Although it is more common in adults, its development is extremely important at a young age. The sooner a child understands the value of relationships and empathy, the easier it will be for him in later life. The ability to recognize emotions helps to cope with them and therefore successfully navigate through various types of crises and changes. Emotional intelligence develops through contact with other people, but recently, children are increasingly replacing live communication with social networks and chats. The need to communicate outside of virtual reality is receding into the background, which negatively affects the child’s EQ.
How to develop emotional intelligence in a child with the help of gadgets
It is not easy to clearly define that technology hinders or develops emotional intelligence. It all depends on how we use them in everyday life. A phone or a computer facilitates development when a child communicates with people whom he rarely sees, for example, with a grandmother who lives in another city. In situations where relatives or friends are far away, a smartphone provides an invaluable service – a person can not only be heard, but also seen, and also, despite the distance, feel love and care. Technological innovations also have a positive effect on communication with parents, even when they are nearby. Watching cartoons or playing together is a good way to spend time together and learn about each other’s interests. During a game or a movie, you can discuss the actions of the characters, explain their experiences – why they are angry, how they feel when they lose.
The negative impact of technology on communication
The threat occurs when a phone or tablet completely replaces a real contact. Children who spend most of their time in front of the screens of various devices do not learn how to build relationships. Only a personal meeting with a person gives an idea of his character and allows you to establish a strong friendship for many years. The development of understanding of gestures, facial expressions, voice and emotions through the “communication” device is not possible. In addition, the ability to adapt in any team leaves much to be desired if the child communicates through gadgets. How to counter bad habit? Limit access to new technologies not by hiding them, but by paying attention to the child or inviting his friends to visit.
Featured: Developing Emotional Intelligence
This is important because some children hide behind the screen from problems. They refuse to think about the difficulties and the reasons for their occurrence, nor are they looking for ways to correct the error. There is also no room for thoughts about your own emotions – “why am I so sad?”, “why did someone hurt me / did I hurt him?”. If this situation repeats in the future, the child will not be able to cope with it, adequately solve it. A particularly dangerous case is that modern technology becomes a tool for harming others. It happens that children use them to hurt someone by posting offensive comments under a photo or video. Usually, this is done “for fun”, they are not aware of the scope and consequences of such actions. Often, children do not feel sympathy for the victim, and the victim herself does not reproduce information about her feelings, as a result of which,
Development of emotional intelligence with the correct use of gadgets
The main task of parents is to show the possibilities of technology and at the same time, pay attention to the consequences associated with their inappropriate use. In order to develop emotional intelligence, you need to consider the following:
- the child should know that technology helps to acquire knowledge and satisfy curiosity, but it cannot be the only way to communicate
- every day contact with the child, ask about his well-being, events in the children’s team. Let him know that you are always ready to listen and help.
- encourage communication with people of different ages and different views, this will teach you how to build relationships with a person of any characteristics
- do not use the tablet for your own convenience, for example, when you are busy. Offer your child a replacement – coloring books, plasticine, toys
- set aside time for games on your phone and let them be useful – developing logic, attention, imagination
- when setting time limits, strictly adhere to the rule so that later you do not scold the child for spending too much time on them.
Most importantly, show a positive example – try to communicate with friends without the help of social accounts.