Blog Article: Emotional Intelligence

At IPS we pride ourselves on nurturing pupils who are not only hardworking, polite and kind but who have a good understanding of the power of emotional literacy. Emotional literacy is the ability to be able to confidently express our emotions and how we’re feeling through either verbal or non-verbal communication.

We believe that developing emotional literacy and emotional intelligence in young pupils is essential for their overall growth. It helps them to understand and manage their emotions, fostering self-awareness and empathy for others. Emotional intelligence also enhances social skills, enabling better communication, conflict resolution, and cooperation.

Class teachers at IPS explicitly teach emotional literacy in class through the Zones of Regulation, and I am always so proud to see that more and more pupils are able to name their emotions whether they are big or small. We also teach them the importance of self-regulation and knowing what to do in situations where they feel overwhelmed, frustrated or upset.

From time to time, all of us (including adults) find it hard to manage strong feelings such as worry, anger, restlessness, fear or tiredness, and this stops us from getting on with our day effectively. Children who feel these emotions often find it hard to learn and concentrate in school. The Zones of Regulation aims to teach children strategies to help them cope with these feelings so they can get back to feeling calm and ready to learn. These coping strategies are called ‘self-regulation’. We teach the children that it’s ok to feel angry, frustrated, nervous, silly or even sad, but it’s how we deal with these emotions that is important.

Have a look below at some of the self regulation strategies and visuals we use in school so you can discuss them at home with your child too.

Below are some books which will help younger children to explore their emotions, through the power of literature. 

written by Megan Lawson

Deputy Head (Support and Inclusion)