A child’s emotional development is as important as their physical and intellectual growth. Beyond enabling them to manage their emotions, express themselves and develop relationships with others, It also helps them mature and discover more about themselves, contributing to better sense of self esteem and self confidence.
There are several nursery level activities that can enrich and contribute to emotional growth and healthier social interactions. Read on to discover some of the best nursery activities for emotional development.
1. Reading Stories With Moral Values
Bedtimes are a popular and encouraged time for reading stories with your child. However, it can be done at any time of day as a form of bonding. By reading stories with moral values, you can help your child discover various emotions through the experiences of different characters. You may gently probe your child with questions regarding how they feel about a story or ask them to identify the emotions felt by a character. Additionally, you can also help them name emotions they’re experiencing, but are struggling to express.
Our MindChamps Fun with Language™ core module exposes your children to various stories that introduce important moral values, emotions and perspectives that will help enhance their emotional intelligence.
2. Singing Songs About Emotions
There are many songs and nursery rhymes where emotions feature prominently. Songs like ‘If You’re Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands’, explores happy themes or ‘I Love You, You Love Me’ delve into loving themes, exposing young children to the various emotions and how they’re expressed. These songs also help children normalise the presence of these emotions, and allow them to understand how they can be expressed in a healthy and socially acceptable manner.
3. Role-Playing
Taking on different roles will allow your child to test and explore different ways of expressing themselves, especially in new situations. As parents, you can involve your child in various role-playing games using their toys as props. Some examples include pretending to be in a restaurant, with your child as waiter or cook, and you being the customer. Exposing them to these different settings promotes the development of healthy emotional regulation, as well as helping them recognise familiar emotions in others
At MindChamps, one of our enrichment modules is Creativity and Theatrical Strategies™. This module allows your child to step into various characters and situations, Both real and imagined. They will then be able to respond emotionally, physically and vocally using their natural creativity and imagination..
4. Arts and Crafts
Carrying out craft projects with your child has many benefits. In addition to nurturing their creativity, it also allows them to freely express themselves. In order to encourage emotional development, you can have your children participate in craft activities that allow them to identify or express specific emotions. For instance, let them draw what they think happy, excited, sad, curious, angry and scared faces look like.
Final Thoughts
One of the most effective ways for your child to develop emotionally is to mingle with other children their age, such as in a preschool setting. Interactions with other children will help them learn teamwork and enhance interpersonal skills which they will need throughout their lives.
At MindChamps PreSchool, we adopt the S.M.I.L.E.S.™ Methodology, which involves nurturing a child’s sensory, motor, intellectual, linguistic, emotional and social aspects at every stage of their development. Through highly experiential classroom activities, we seek to instil in them our MindChampion attributes which will culminate in emotional maturity and empathy. Book a visit today at your nearest MindChamp PreSchool with your child and experience what our unique pedagogy has to offer.