While school may be out for summer, there is always time to learn and grow.

One of the most important life skills that children can learn is emotional intelligence.

Having more one-on-one time with kids during the summer break can be a great time to develop emotional intelligence and build stronger communication channels. 

Emotional intelligence (EI) can help kids cope with stress, build healthy relationships, and succeed in school and life.

And one of the best ways to develop EI is to ask open questions that help children to reflect on how they’re feeling and the actions they take. 

Asking open questions can be great for developing emotional intelligence and offers benefits such as:

• Enhancing their self-awareness and self-regulation skills
• Increasing their vocabulary and understanding of emotions
• Improving their social awareness and relationship skills
• Boosting their confidence and self-esteem
• Stimulating their creativity and critical thinking skills

If you’re looking to help your child open up about their feelings and develop their emotional intelligence, keep these questions to hand and foster deeper conversations. 

Top Questions To Help Children Develop Emotional Intelligence

How do you feel today? What’s the reason for that?

It can be beneficial for kids to check in with their emotions on a daily basis and get used to different emotions and how they can pass. 

What makes you happy? 

Understanding what can boost their mental health can help to create a toolkit of feeling good to fall back on during bad days. 

How do you calm yourself down when you are upset or frustrated?

This question can help kids think about their reactions and needs during challenges. 

How do you accept an apology when someone hurts your feelings or makes a mistake?

Recognising the intentions of others and how to understand the emotions of others when balanced with their own feelings is a complex skill but can be interesting to explore. 

What are some of your strengths?

This type of question can explore a whole host of areas, from their personality, skills and achievements. 

What are some of your goals and dreams?

This can help children to look to the future and consider how to build motivation, focus and a growth mindset to make their goals and dreams a reality. 

What are some of the things that you are grateful for?

Gratitude can be a really important practice (and something we cover in the latest blog post), and exploring this question can help kids to consider what’s important to them while developing a positive mindset. 

These questions can be adapted to suit the age and developmental level of the child, as well as the context and situation.

They can be asked during daily routines, such as mealtime, bedtime, car rides, or special occasions, such as holidays, birthdays, or milestones.

They can also be used as journaling, drawing, or storytelling prompts.

If you’re looking for more activities to help develop emotional intelligence in kids, check out the latest blog post, where we cover fun activities that develop this vital skill.