Exercise for the soul: how to develop emotional intelligence

What is emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a person’s ability to identify emotions, recognize the motives, moods and desires of both one’s own and other people. And in addition to this concept includes the ability to manage one’s own and others’ emotions. This definition of emotional intelligence is given in the extensive Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia.

The concept itself appeared in the 80s of the 20th century, when psychologists tried to explain why some very smart and educated people do stupid things. Scientists have found that traditional intelligence tests do not help determine a person's level of success in life and career. After all, they do not evaluate how effectively a person interacts with other people, how well he knows how to manage his emotions.

IQ is a coefficient that shows the level of a person’s intelligence and allows us to determine his mental abilities in the exact sciences, and EQ is a coefficient that determines the level of emotional intelligence, which shows a person’s ability to recognize his own and others’ emotions and manage them. Some people can have an extremely high IQ, but at the same time their EQ level can be extremely low, and vice versa.

Before we move on, go to Wikium.ru and take a short emotional intelligence test. The link will take you directly to the test.

For example, a Nobel Prize winner in physics cannot build strong relationships and start a family. Or another example - an absolutely illiterate saleswoman at the market can easily convince you to buy mittens, although it’s summer outside and you don’t need them at all.

At the same time, the emotional and intellectual spheres are interconnected and do not exist separately from each other. A harmonious personality has high levels of both IQ and EQ.

A person with developed emotional intelligence has the following qualities:

• high stress resistance;
• charm and charisma;
• communication skills;
• sociability;
• responsibility;
• determination;
• productivity;
• performance.

Such a person easily finds a common language with other people, is able to build strong relationships in the family and productively manage a team. The higher the EQ level, the better the quality of life in both personal and professional relationships.

For a modern leader, to become successful and effective, it is no longer enough to have a brilliant diploma, an impeccable resume and professional skills. He must have highly developed emotional intelligence.

At interviews, future managers are often tested to determine their EQ level. After all, a boss with a low level of emotional intelligence will be too tough or soft, will begin to become hysterical and panic if the plan is not fulfilled or deadlines are violated, and will not be able to calmly hold an important production meeting to solve problems that have arisen.

Signs of Low Emotional Intelligence

There are a number of signs that suggest a person has low EQ:

• lack of self-confidence;
• indecision;
• complex;
• isolation;
• difficulties in communicating with other people;
• envy;
• tendency to condemn and criticize;
• negative thinking.

To more accurately determine your EQ, it is best to take tests. There are many of them on the Internet. You should choose high-quality tests, with a sufficiently large number of tasks and a detailed interpretation of the result. In the meantime, I suggest you take a short test suggested in the next video.

If suddenly you don’t get a very good result, don’t rush to get upset, emotional intelligence can be developed. And I’ll tell you how to do this further.

Basic principles of developing emotional intelligence

Before you start doing exercises that will help pump up your emotional intelligence like biceps, you should remember the following important principles, without which the training will not be effective.

1. Focus on the right values . High emotional intelligence loses its meaning if it is not aligned with the right values. Many scammers, fortune tellers, and psychics have a very high EQ, but at the same time they shamelessly deceive people who came to them for help and extract the last of their money. Focus on honesty, compassion, and respect for others. The correct choice of priorities is one of the main qualities of an emotionally developed person.
2. Become aware of your own emotions . You cannot ignore the feelings and emotions that arise. They influence your behavior and way of thinking. We need to ask questions more often: how do I feel, what emotions do I experience in the morning or before going to bed, why did I have this or that emotion in a particular situation.
3. Pay attention to body signals . Our body is very closely connected with our mind. It reacts to different emotions. For example, when we experience joy, our heart rate increases, our energy levels increase, and when we are stressed, we begin to breathe more often, as if our chest is being squeezed.
4. Trace the connection between emotions and behavior . When we experience strong emotions, we almost always behave the same way. For example, the voice of a person experiencing anger becomes louder and irritated, and his hands involuntarily clench into fists. And the feeling of extreme fatigue and weakness makes you cry or lose control over your own actions. When you learn how you react to different emotions, you can change your behavior patterns. The ability to control your behavior is an important skill that helps you understand yourself and the world around you.
5. Do not divide emotions into “good” and “bad” . Every emotion has the right to exist. There is no need to judge yourself for experiencing a negative emotion. Better learn to react to it correctly. For example, when you feel angry, you can use its power to cause harm and pain to other people. Then this emotion will definitely be destructive. Or, under the influence of anger, you will begin to defend the innocent and unjustly offended. Even such a wonderful emotion as joy can be negative if it is caused by pain caused to another person.
6. Develop your ability to understand other people's feelings . The ability to recognize the emotions and experiences of another person and share them is called empathy. Listen to those around you, observe them to better understand their mood and motives. Often put yourself in the other person's shoes and imagine how you would react and how you would feel in their situation.

Watch the course on developing emotional intelligence from Wikium.ru right now. Maybe you won’t want to read the article further. In my opinion, excellent material and presented professionally.

Games to develop emotions. Psychogymnastics methods for children

Natalia Bystrikova

Games to develop emotions. Psychogymnastics methods for children

.

Emotions help a child adapt to a particular situation. Thanks to emotional development , the child will be able to regulate his behavior, avoiding those actions that he could commit under the influence of random circumstances and fleeting desires. Therefore, we consider it necessary not only to study, but also to develop the emotional sphere of a preschooler , since emotions “tell”

others about the child’s inner world.

Currently, in our country there is increasing interest in the problem of the child’s position in society. As A.I. Zakharov notes, “society is beginning to understand more and more that its foundations are laid in childhood and mental health is one of the most valuable acquisitions.”

Unfortunately, today game consoles, television, computers, mobile phones play a leading role in a child’s life, therefore, this has a detrimental effect on the development of the emotional sphere of preschoolers . In the visual activities of older preschoolers, ideas become more stable, and the possibilities for using materials that the child chooses expand. He is able to take on the role of “artist”

,
“sculptor”
,
“master”
, in connection with which he motivates the choice of activity and material:
“I want to draw a picture on an easel, I’ll take a palette, brushes and paints
.

Children an object: shape, proportions, color. Hand movements gain confidence and become more coordinated. Consequently, the problem of the development of the emotional sphere of preschool children is relevant for consideration and study. So, is the process of visual activity an effective way to develop the emotional sphere of children of senior preschool age? We can say that a person’s stable emotional relationships to the phenomena of reality, reflecting their meaning in connection with his needs and motives, are called feelings. In the emotional sphere we include : emotions , feelings, self-esteem, anxiety. A child of the sixth year of life is a prisoner of emotions . Children of older preschool age are distinguished by very high emotionality ; they do not yet know how to manage their emotional states . But gradually they become more restrained and balanced.

. Currently, there are many ways to work on the development of the emotional sphere of children of senior preschool age: art therapy (visual, fairy tale, musical)

;
behavioral therapy (various types of trainings,
psycho-gymnastics ) ;
play therapy; melotherapy, hypotherapy, isotherapy. Visual activity develops in preschoolers the ability to coordinate their actions, teaches them to be attentive to the feelings and emotions of other people , that is, contributes to the development of empathy . In the process of development of the emotional sphere of children of senior preschool age, changes occur. His view of the world and attitude towards others changes. The child’s ability to realize and control his emotions increases the emotional sphere of the preschooler itself develop . It needs to be developed .
Psychogymnastics is a course of special classes (studies, exercises and games aimed at developing and correcting various aspects of the child’s psyche (both its cognitive and emotional-personal spheres ). The main advantages of psychogymnastics : the playful nature of the exercises (reliance on the leading activities preschool children ); maintaining the emotional well-being of children ; relying on imagination; the ability to use group forms of work.

The goals of psychogymnastics : reliance on natural mechanisms in the development of a child ; overcoming barriers to communication, understanding oneself and others; relieving mental stress and maintaining the emotional well-being of the child; creating opportunities for self-expression; development of the verbal language of feelings (naming emotions leads to the child’s emotional awareness of himself).

Tasks for the development of the emotional sphere : voluntarily direct children's attention to the emotional sensations they experience ; distinguish and compare emotional sensations , determine their nature (pleasant, unpleasant, restless, surprising, scary, etc.)

;
arbitrarily and imitatively “reproduce”
or demonstrate
emotions according to a given pattern; capture, understand and distinguish the best emotional states ; empathize (i.e., accept the position of a communication partner and fully experience, feel his emotional state ); respond with adequate feelings (i.e., in response to the emotional state of a comrade, show such feelings that will bring satisfaction to the participants in communication).
. The characters of psycho-gymnastics can be children , as well as adults. Children simply play, have fun, experience interest, learn about the world around them, but at the same time learn the difficult task of managing themselves and their emotions . Children's participation in exercises must be voluntary. When to use psycho-gymnastics ? First of all, such classes are indicated for children with excessive fatigue, exhaustion, restlessness, hot-tempered, withdrawn, with neuroses, character disorders, mild mental retardations and other neuropsychic disorders that are on the border of health and illness. It is equally important to use psychogymnastics in psychoprophylactic work with practically healthy children for the purpose of psychophysical relaxation .

Structure of psychogymnastics . The initial stage is a conversation with children, a literary word, a riddle, a bright, colorful toy, a surprise moment, and more. Goal: to motivate children on the topic of the lesson or other form of work. The stage of living the actions is practicing basic movements, gymnastic exercises, etc. Goal: achieving the result of training, educational and developmental tasks . Stage of organizing emotional communication . Purpose: training the general abilities of verbal and non-verbal influence of children on each other . The content of a child’s communication with an adult or peer includes exercises such as exchanging the roles of communication partners, assessing one’s own emotions and those of a partner . Stage of organizing controlled behavior. Goal: training children’s to regulate their behavioral reactions.

Methodological tasks : showing and playing out typical situations with psychological difficulties ; identification and recognition of typical forms of adaptive and maladaptive behavior; acquisition and consolidation of behavioral stereotypes and methods of conflict resolution acceptable to the child; Final stage. Goal: consolidating the content of the proposed material, as well as the positive effect that stimulates and streamlines the mental and physical activity of children , balancing their emotional state , improving well-being and mood. Groups of exercises in psycho-gymnastics are aimed at developing : movements; emotions ; communication; behavior. Game ( psycho-gymnastic )

content of exercises.
It should contribute to mastering the skills of controlling the motor and emotional spheres , that is, it should be thought out in such a way as to complete the following tasks: give the child the opportunity to experience a variety of sensations (by imitatively repeating the movements and actions of the leading adult);
train the child to direct and hold attention to his sensations, teach him to distinguish and compare them; train the child to change the nature of his movements, accompanied by various muscle sensations; train the child to change the nature of his movements, relying on the work of imagination and feelings. In the sequence of psycho-gymnastic exercises, it is especially important to observe the alternation and comparison of movements of opposite nature, accompanied alternately by muscle tension and relaxation: tense and relaxed; sharp and smooth; frequent and slow; fractional and whole harmonious; barely noticeable movements and complete freezing; body rotations and jumps; free movement in space and collision with objects.

This alternation of movements harmonizes the mental activity of the brain : mental and motor activity is streamlined, the mood improves, and the inertia of well-being is relieved. The process of regulating behavior includes plot and psychological exercises . At this stage, the following tasks are solved: showing - playing out typical situations with psychological difficulties ; identification and recognition of typical forms of adaptive and maladaptive behavior; acquisition and consolidation of behavioral stereotypes and methods of conflict resolution acceptable to the child; development of skills for independent choice and construction by children of appropriate forms of reactions and actions within the framework of the situation.

The difficulty for the teacher is the transition during the lesson from one image to another, since the adult must simultaneously be both in the image and direct the children’s . This requires skill.

It is necessary to use a mirror for training. All work in preschool educational institutions should be aimed at preserving the mental and physical health of children . Measures to prevent fatigue in children include: a balanced daily routine, alternation of activities, their diversity, daily physical education, time in the fresh air, sufficient physical activity. When planning classes, it is necessary to take into account: weekly dynamics of performance: Monday - adaptation; Tuesday, Wednesday - the most stable and highest level of performance; from Thursday - decline in performance; daily dynamics of performance: high physiological activity of body systems is observed in the morning hours (from 8 to 11)

;
decreased activity in the pre-lunch and lunch hours; restoration of performance in the period from 16 to 18 hours (with proper rest)
and again its significant drop;
phases of children’s performance during the lesson : inclusion, optimal performance, decreased performance; the duration of active attention of children , which depends on age: 3-4 years - 10 minutes, 4-5 years - 15 minutes, 6-7 years - 25 minutes. To prevent fatigue and maintain performance in children during classes, it is necessary to: create an emotional mood , maintain interest; take into account that moderate emotions are an organizing factor, and strong emotions are a disorganizing factor; maintain a level of emotional tension at which children's activities are effective ; use various game situations, artistic expression, theatrical elements, musical accompaniment; include elements of psycho-gymnastics , relaxation exercises; conduct games and exercises to develop general and fine motor skills, coordination of speech with movement; self-massage; exercises for the development of physiological breathing; articulation exercises, exercises to prevent visual fatigue (using special aids, visual references)
;
exercises for developing parameters of attention , memory, imagination.
Children with an undeveloped emotional-volitional sphere experience instability and poor focus of activity, increased distractibility, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity.

Games for the development of the emotional sphere of preschoolers

Emotions play an important role in children's , helping them perceive and respond to reality. emotions are a message to others about his condition.

Emotions and feelings , like other mental processes development path throughout childhood .

For young children, emotions are the motives of behavior, which explains their impulsiveness and instability. If kids are upset, offended, angry or unsatisfied, they begin to scream and cry inconsolably, knock their feet on the floor, and fall. This strategy allows them to completely release all the physical tension that has arisen in the body.

emotions are mastered . Thanks to speech development, the emotions of preschoolers become conscious; they are an indicator of the child’s general condition, his mental and physical well-being.

The emotional system of preschool children is still immature, so in unfavorable situations they may experience inadequate emotional reactions and behavioral disorders, which are a consequence of low self-esteem, feelings of resentment and anxiety. All of these feelings are normal human reactions, but children have difficulty expressing negative emotions appropriately . In addition, children at preschool age have problems expressing emotions associated with adult prohibitions. This is a ban on loud laughter, a ban on tears (especially for boys, a ban on expressing fear and aggression. A six-year-old child already knows how to be restrained and can hide fear, aggression and tears, but being in a state of resentment, anger, depression for a long time, the child experiences emotional discomfort , tension, and this is very harmful to mental and physical health.The experience of an emotional relationship with the world , acquired in preschool age, according to psychologists , is very durable and takes on the character of an attitude.

.

Games and exercises aimed at getting to know a person’s emotions , understanding one’s own emotions , as well as recognizing the emotional reactions of other children and developing the ability to adequately express one’s emotions .

1. Game "Pictograms"

.

Children are offered a set of cards depicting various emotions .

emotions on the table . Each child takes a card for himself without showing it to the others. After this, the children take turns trying to show the emotions drawn on the cards. The audience must guess what emotion is being shown to them and explain how they determined what that emotion . The teacher makes sure that all children participate in the game.

This game will help determine how well children can correctly express their emotions and “see” the emotions of other people .

2. Exercise “Mirror”

.

The teacher passes a mirror around and invites each child to look at himself, smile and say: “Hello, it’s me!”

After completing the exercise, attention is drawn to the fact that when a person smiles, the corners of his mouth are directed upward, his cheeks can prop up his eyes so much that they turn into small slits.

If a child finds it difficult to turn to himself the first time, there is no need to insist on this. In this case, it is better to immediately pass the mirror to the next group member. Such a child also requires special attention from adults.

This exercise can be diversified by asking children to show sadness, surprise, fear, etc. Before performing, you can show children a pictogram depicting a given emotion , paying attention to the position of the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth.

3. Game “I rejoice when...”

Teacher: “Now I will call one of you by name, throw him a ball and ask, for example: “Sveta, please tell us when you are happy?”

.The child catches the ball and says:
“I am happy when...”
, then throws the ball to the next child and, calling him by name, in turn asks: “(child’s name, please tell us when you are happy?”

This game can be diversified by inviting children to tell when they are upset, surprised, or afraid. Such games can tell you about the child’s inner world, about his relationships with both parents and peers.

4. Exercise “Music and emotions ”

.

After listening to a musical excerpt, children describe the mood of the music, what it is like: cheerful, sad, contented, angry, brave, cowardly, festive, everyday, soulful, aloof, kind, tired, warm, cold, clear, gloomy. This exercise contributes not only to the development of understanding of the transmission of emotional states , but also to the development of imaginative thinking .

5. Exercise “Ways to improve your mood”

.

It is suggested that you discuss with your child how you can improve your own mood, try to come up with as many such ways as possible (smile at yourself in the mirror, try to laugh, remember something good, do a good deed for someone else, draw a picture for yourself).

6. Game "Magic bag"

.

Before this game, we discuss with the child what his mood is now, how he feels, maybe he is offended by someone. Then invite the child to put all negative emotions , anger, resentment, sadness into a magic bag. This bag, with all the bad things in it, is tied tightly. You can use another “magic bag” from which the child can take the positive emotions he wants. The game is aimed at awareness of your emotional state and liberation from negative emotions .

7. Game “Mood Lotto”

.
To play this game, you need sets of pictures that depict animals with different facial expressions (for example, one set: a happy fish, a sad fish, an angry fish, etc.: the next set: a happy squirrel, a sad squirrel, an angry squirrel, etc. .). The number of sets corresponds to the number of children .
The presenter shows the children a schematic representation of a particular emotion . children's task is to find an animal in their set with the same emotion .

8. Game “Name something similar”

.

The presenter names the main emotion (or shows a schematic representation of it, the children remember the words that denote this emotion .

This game activates your vocabulary with words for different emotions .

9. Exercise “My mood”

.

Children are invited to talk about their mood: it can be compared with some color, animal, condition, weather, etc.

10. Game “Broken Phone”

.
All participants in the game , except two, are “sleeping”
.
The presenter silently shows the first participant some emotion using facial expressions or pantomimes. The first participant, having “awakened”
the second player, conveys
the emotion , as he understood it, also without words. Next, the second participant “wakes up”
the third and conveys to him his version of what he saw.
And so on until the last participant in the game .
After this, the presenter interviews all participants in the game , from the last to the first, about what emotion , in their opinion, was shown to them. This way you can find the link where the distortion occurred, or make sure that the “telephone”

was completely correct.

11. Game “What would happen if.”

An adult shows the children a plot picture from the hero (es)

which

person
(s)
is .
Children are asked to name which emotion they consider appropriate for this case and why. After this, the adult invites the children to change the emotion on the hero's face .
What would happen if he became cheerful (sad, angry, etc.? Psycho-gymnastic exercises (studies, the main goal of which is to master the skills of managing one’s emotional sphere : developing in children the ability to understand, be aware of their own and others’ emotions , and express them correctly , fully experience.

1. New doll (study on the expression of joy)

.

The girl was given a new doll. She is happy, jumps merrily, spins, plays with her doll.

2. Baba Yaga (study on the expression of anger)

.

Baba Yaga caught Alyonushka, told her to light the stove so that she could eat the girl, and she fell asleep. I woke up, but Alyonushka was not there - she ran away. Baba Yaga was angry that she was left without dinner. He runs around the hut, stomping his feet, waving his fists.

3. Focus (study on the expression of surprise)

.

The boy was very surprised: he saw how the magician put a cat in an empty suitcase and closed it, and when he opened the suitcase, the cat was not there. A dog jumped out of the suitcase.

4. The fox eavesdrops (study on expressing interest)

.

The fox stands at the window of the hut in which the cat and the cockerel live, and overhears what they are talking about.

5. Salty tea (study on the expression of disgust)

.

The boy watched TV while eating. He poured tea into a cup and, without looking, mistakenly poured two tablespoons of salt instead of sugar. He stirred and took the first sip. What a disgusting taste!

6. New girl (study on expression of contempt)

.

A new girl has joined the group. She was wearing an elegant dress, holding a beautiful doll in her hands, and had a large bow tied on her head. She considered herself the most beautiful, and the other children unworthy of her attention. She looked down on everyone, pursing her lips contemptuously.

7. About Tanya (sorrow - joy)

.

Our Tanya cries loudly:

Dropped a ball into the river (grief)

.

“Hush, Tanechka, don’t cry -

The ball won’t drown in the river!”

8. Cinderella (study on the expression of sadness)

.

Cinderella returns from the ball very sad: she will no longer see the prince, and besides, she has lost her slipper...

9. Home alone (study on the expression of fear)

.

The mother raccoon left to get food, the baby raccoon was left alone in the hole. It’s dark all around, and various rustling noises can be heard. The little raccoon is scared - what if someone attacks him and his mother doesn’t have time to come to the rescue?

Games and exercises to relieve psycho-emotional stress . To form emotional stability, it is important to teach him how to control his body. The ability to relax allows you to eliminate anxiety, excitement, stiffness, restore strength, and increase your energy supply.

1."Tender palms"

.

Children sit in a circle, one after another. With their palms they stroke the child sitting in front of him on the head, back, arms, lightly touching.

2. "Secrets"

.

Sew small bags of the same color. Pour various cereals into them, do not stuff them tightly. Invite children experiencing emotional discomfort to guess what is in the bags? Children crumple the bags in their hands and switch to another activity, thus escaping the negative state.

3. Game “In the clearing”

.

Teacher: “Let’s sit on the carpet, close our eyes and imagine that we are in a clearing in the forest. The sun is shining tenderly, the birds are singing, the trees are gently rustling. Our bodies are relaxed. We are warm and cozy. Look at the flowers around you. What flower makes you feel happy? What colour is he?".

After a short pause, the teacher invites the children to open their eyes and tell whether they were able to imagine the clearing, the sun, the singing of birds, how they felt during this exercise. Did they see the flower? What was he like? Children are asked to draw what they saw.

4. Exercise “Wonderful kitten sleep”

.

Children lie in a circle on their backs, arms and legs are freely extended, slightly apart , eyes closed.

Quiet, calm music is turned on, against the backdrop of which the presenter slowly says: “The little kitten was very tired, he had run around, played enough and lay down to rest, curled up into a ball. He had a magical dream: blue sky, bright sun, clear water, silvery fish, familiar faces, friends, familiar animals, mom says kind words, a miracle happens. A wonderful dream, but it's time to wake up. The kitten opens its eyes, stretches, smiles.” The presenter asks the children about their dreams , what they saw, heard, felt, did a miracle happen?

Conclusion

Everyone knows, but not everyone understands, how important emotional activity is for the formation of a person’s physical and mental health , and how necessary it is to teach children to lead an active lifestyle. The problem of physical and mental health is very acute in our time.

According to the Research Institute of Hygiene and Health Protection, the number of children with pathology has doubled in recent years. But the full physical and mental health of a child is the basis for personality formation.

Components of Emotional Intelligence

There are several models of emotional intelligence. I want to tell you about one of the most popular, proposed by scholar-journalist Daniel Goleman.

It is called mixed and consists of 4 elements.

1. Self-awareness . It is responsible for the ability to clearly define one’s own emotions, values, life goals, to know one’s strengths and weaknesses, and motivation. This is an ongoing process, because a person changes throughout life, revises his values ​​and goals.
2. Self-control . He teaches us to restrain our emotions, manage them, and not give in to impulses. The importance of self-regulation lies in the fact that a person knows how to react correctly in a given situation so that neither he nor other people experience negativity. Controlling your own emotions helps you maintain emotional balance. This also includes motivation. It gives a person the energy to achieve a goal. Thanks to motivation, a person strives to achieve what he wants.
3. Social sensitivity . At the heart of this element is empathy. This is the ability to understand the emotions of other people, to be able to sympathize, sympathize, empathize with other people, and take their feelings into account when making decisions.
4. Relationship management . This element implies the skill of building relationships with people, resolving conflict situations, the ability to inspire people, lead them, and influence them. But this should not be confused with manipulation to achieve selfish goals. To build successful and productive relationships with people, it is important to take into account their interests and needs, and listen to others.

Look carefully at each item on the list and try to determine what exactly you need to fix in yourself first. Begin to intensively develop yourself in this direction, without forgetting about the other components of emotional intelligence. And I have prepared exercises for you that will help strengthen each component.

Which toys are better to give preference to?

• Toys that reflect the specifics of real life. This category includes dolls or all kinds of families of animals, all household doll accessories - dishes, furniture, dollhouse, medical toy devices, all types of vehicles - cars, trains, boats.
• Toys that allow you to throw out negative emotions or accumulated aggression. This is, first of all, sports equipment: balls, jump ropes, punching bags and other equipment, wild animals or other negative cartoon characters.
• We should not forget about the creative component of the development of emotions and feelings in young children, so it is better to take care of the availability of paints, plasticine, pencils and colored paper in your arsenal. Construction sets, board games, pyramids or cubes will help develop imagination, inventive tendencies and strategic thinking. Well, the alphabet will fuel interest in studying and understanding the world of letters and sounds.

The ABC of Emotions is an excellent book for children.
It should be noted that those toys that adults really like - automatic vehicles or some kind of robots - are not of particular value for the development of a child. They do not contribute to the development of emotions in preschool children, the necessary skills, and do not satisfy their need to develop creatively. A toy is a reflection of a child’s inner world, and by his favorite toys one can judge his inclinations, basic character traits and abilities.

Toys for very young children of preschool age are aimed at developing the organs of hearing, vision and touch. Naturally, they should be pleasant to the touch, warm and colorful, with an accompanying pleasant melody, if appropriate.

Homemade toys bring a lot of joy
Do-it-yourself toys bring a lot of delight to a child. Preschool children feel special joy when they give crafts they have made to loved ones. The awareness of doing good is always encouraged by adults, so the reaction to such a gift should be joyful, without critical comments or an indifferent attitude. Children can be very disappointed when they see their favorite broken toy in the trash. A toy for a baby is a symbol of his development; each of them absorbs certain emotions, makes one remember happy moments, and evokes feelings of reliability, love, and compassion.

Throwing away toys means parting with true friends, crossing out everything important that lives in a child’s soul.

Old toys can be repaired and given to someone

The best way out of this situation can be found. In this case, it is better to repair it and donate it to needy children or take it to a kindergarten. The child’s psychological state will improve from the realization that the toy was given a second life and it was he who presented it to other children.

To diversify your child's toy environment, there is no need to visit expensive stores too often. The temptation to get the thing you like is quite great, and if it is not possible to purchase it, then bitter tears and severe suffering cannot be avoided. It is more advisable to make toys from improvised materials, so quite often you can replenish the children's collection with new interesting crafts. Now you can find many original ideas and make a toy with your own hands. Such a toy will be incredibly appreciated by the baby, as it has important emotional significance for him.

You don’t need a lot of toys – what’s more important is playing with your child

Many parents do not pay enough attention to their children, preferring to pay off with another expensive toy. Yes, it is possible to distract attention for a while with a seductive and bright object, but a child is a living being and needs communication and spending time together.

Exercises to develop emotional intelligence

Since emotional intelligence consists of a set of components, it is necessary to train each of them, namely:

• awareness;
• self-control;
• empathy;
• social skills.

Mindfulness training

Self-knowledge requires a responsible and conscious attitude towards ourselves, our feelings, and what we do. Most people pay very little attention to themselves, preferring to spend time watching TV or videos on YouTube, messaging in instant messengers, scrolling through their Instagram feed, and playing computer games. These are all distractions. You need to get rid of them in order to increase your self-knowledge. So do this:

• limit the time you spend on the Internet;
• set aside at least 10 minutes a day every day to listen to yourself and realize what exactly you are feeling at this moment;
• For those who are ready to take radical measures, I advise you to delete social networks for at least a week.

Perhaps you will understand that dependence on gadgets is just a way to avoid unpleasant emotions and suppress anxious feelings. When you cut yourself off from all distractions, real emotions can scare you. Among them there may well be depression, anger, melancholy, sadness, despondency, depression. You will want to hide them deeper again and crush them with your smartphone.

There is no need to be afraid and condemn yourself for negative emotions. Become aware of them, try to find the reason why they appeared. Once you accept negative emotions, you will see your weaknesses. For example, I get very offended when people make fun of me, and I begin to be insolent in response. I realized this weakness of mine and now I can react correctly in such situations.

Here are some more exercises for developing mindfulness.

1. Close your ears tightly so you don't hear anything. Look carefully at everything around you, try to notice every detail. You will notice something that you didn’t even pay attention to before.
2. Now close your eyes and focus on the sounds. Under normal conditions, we concentrate on sounds within a radius of 1.5 meters around us. With your eyes closed, you will begin to notice the sounds of nature, the city, and listen to what is happening in the distance.
3. Start keeping an emotional journal. All people have their own life experiences, hence people react to the same event differently. In your diary, describe the situation that arose, what emotions you experienced and how you reacted. Analyze the recording and think about what reaction would be optimal in this case. Write it down. If the situation arises again, you will already know how best to respond.

Self-control training

Controlling emotions does not mean suppressing them. The more a person suppresses and suppresses his emotions, the more unpredictable the result will be. Accumulated feelings can break out and provoke neuroses, other diseases, as well as emotional burnout syndrome.

Now that you have learned to be aware of your emotions, it’s time to learn how to manage them. The following techniques will be useful for this.

1. Measured breathing . When you feel an emotional storm starting inside you, take 10 deep breaths and even slower exhalations. This helps you calm down and put your thoughts in order.
2. Physical activity . As they say, in any unclear situation, go for a walk. Or go to the gym, or go for a run in the park, or do yoga, or clean the house. The main thing is not to sit still. Sport helps cope with negative emotions.
3. Verbalization . Describe your condition out loud. For example, “I’m scared, it’s hard to breathe, my heart is pounding.” The more detailed you can describe what you feel, the faster this condition will go away.
4. Meditation . This is an excellent practice that helps you immerse yourself in your inner world, study your condition, and achieve harmony with yourself and the world around you. It is very effective with regular practice.

Developing Empathy

To become socially sensitive, you just need to observe people and strive to understand how they feel, what emotions they experience, why they act the way they do, what motivates them.

There are no special exercises for developing empathy. It all depends on your observation and desire to understand the other person. In difficult situations, always ask your interlocutor how he feels. People love to talk about themselves. Your observation and attentiveness to people is what helps develop and demonstrate sensitivity and empathy.

I can recommend practicing using emotion cards. Find photos on the Internet of people depicting different emotions and try to identify them.

Development of social skills

Managing relationships does not at all imply manipulating people for one’s own selfish motives. This is the ability to competently resolve conflicts, calm a person down if he is sad or very angry, inspire people, charge them with energy and lead them. All this together is called emotional leadership, that is, the ability to manage people based on emotional intelligence.

To manage at least one person, you need to understand his motives. To do this you can do the following:

• try to mentally put yourself in the place of another person;
• listen to him;
• explain to him why you are doing this;
• respond appropriately to harsh statements.

Without inner confidence, it is unlikely that you will become a leader. To develop it, I suggest regularly taking the so-called power pose. Straighten your back, raise your arms up, hold your head high. In this position, the production of the hormone dopamine increases, which helps to better absorb material, remember information and feel more confident.

To reinforce what you have read, I advise you to watch the video.

The role of the environment in the formation of emotions

The formation of feelings and emotions in preschoolers largely depends on communication with peers. Intense competition and comparison of the child's achievements with the successes of other children contribute to an increase in the number of negative expressions. Failures and obstacles, in this case, are assessed sharply by children and can provoke a conflict with a peer. Collective competitions smooth out negative emotional manifestations, since success or failure is shared by all group members, the strength and intensity of emotions decreases.

It is very important to competently approach the baby’s first failures, support and reassure him, set him up for further work and self-improvement.

A kindergarten activity is a game about emotions.
Collective work activity, useful for others and aimed at general well-being, diversifies the child’s emotional state. He receives joy from achieving a goal or is upset if something does not work out, learns to sympathize with other people's failures and receives true satisfaction, realizing his contribution to the common cause.

The development of emotions and feelings in children occurs together with other mental processes, one of which is speech. Also, the feelings of babies are accompanied by bright and expressive facial reactions and vocal intonations, which are a means of expressing emotions and feelings.

Physical activity is a source of positive emotions

A preschooler’s sociability largely determines his emotional development. Children are optimistic creatures; they are generally cheerful and cheerful.

Events that affect others, aimed at the emotional state of another person, that resonate in the child’s soul are called empathy. This is one of the components of the development of children's feelings and emotions. By learning to empathize, sympathize, and understand the inner subjective world of their interlocutor, preschool children develop morally, which is extremely necessary in modern social society. Humane feelings are an indicator of the highest development of humanity. The reasons for a child’s behavior lie in hidden experiences; studying his emotions is extremely important, as it allows us to understand his condition and determine his true attitude to the outside world, and determine the further path of development of the child as an individual.