How To Foster Emotional Intelligence In Kids In Singapore

BUILDING EMOTIONAL VOCABULARY

Before a child can manage their emotions, they need to recognise what they’re feeling. The most basic emotions for kids are usually “happy”, “sad” and “angry”, but there are nuances between all three which may be slightly more challenging for young ones to identify, such as frustrated, nervous, excited, and disappointed. In an environment where kids may be encouraged to “toughen up” or “just study,” giving them space to talk about feelings creates emotional safety and openness at home.

Here’s some activities to try for developing their emotional vocabulary:

• Feelings Chart: Put up an emotion wheel or feelings chart at home. At the end of every day, ask your child to point to or name how they felt during the day.
• Storytime with a Twist: During reading time, pause and ask your child, “How do you think this character feels?” or “What would you do in this situation?”
• Emoji Cards or Local Stickers: You can also make it fun by creating emoji flashcards to describe how they feel – like a train emoji for “stuck” or a thundercloud for “grumpy”

BE A ROLE MODEL FOR THEM

Consciously or subconsciously, kids are a mirror of ourselves. They are always watching and observing social cues, so it’s imperative that we manage our own emotions so they are able to learn and adapt as well – especially during our tough moments. With many parents in Singapore juggling long work hours and packed schedules, keep in mind to intentionally model emotional awareness.

Some techniques to try:

• Instead of yelling when you’re stressed, say, “I’m feeling really overwhelmed right now, I need five minutes to breathe.”
• When you make a mistake, try to have self-compassion: “Oops, I forgot to pack your lunch! I’ll try to do better tomorrow.”
• Make it a habit to do weekly “emotional check-ins” during the weekends or car rides – even if it’s just sharing one high and one low of the week.

ROLE-PLAYING WITH KIDS

Roleplaying scenarios and creating fantasy situations are great ways to help kids develop their emotions. With so much emphasis on structured enrichment, unstructured play helps kids practice empathy, conflict resolution, and problem-solving in a low-stress setting.

Some fun role-play ideas:

• Restaurant situation: Pretend to run a café where your child “serves” emotions. Ask, “Can I have a cup of frustration and a side of calm?”
• Stuffed toy drama: Use their plush toys to act out conflicts like “Bear stole Bunny’s toy – how should they resolve it?”
• “What if” scenarios: “What if your friend doesn’t let you join their game?” Let your child explore responses.
• Role reversal: Let the kids take turns being the “parent” and you be the “child” – you might learn something too.

TEACHING MINDFULNESS AND CALMING TECHNIQUES

As much as it’s easy to say “calm down” when your kid is having a full-blown temper tantrum, it doesn’t always work. What could help you instead are varying calming strategies before your kid reaches their melting point. It doesn’t help that the Singapore culture easily promotes stress with education and strict parenting, which leads to rising anxiety and mental health concerns among youths.

Here are some activities that could help:

• Glitter jar or slime: Fill a bottle with water, glitter, and glue. When shaken, watching it settle helps kids slow down and breathe. Making slime requires patience, and squeezing your result in your hands is also a stress-reliever!
• Bubble breathing: Ask your child to blow pretend bubbles – big, slow breaths out. It’s a fun and physically calming activity that’s also free!
• Guided meditation apps: Try kid-friendly ones like Smiling Mind or Ninja Focus. Even just 5 minutes before bed can help.

FOCUS ON THEIR JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION

Here’s something we hear often as adults – “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey”. Similarly, the same should be applied to children during their upbringing. It’s tempting to say, “good job, you got full marks!” But emotional intelligence is built when we acknowledge the effort and emotional growth as well, not just the result.

This will definitely help children develop inner self-worth in the long run, beyond grades and achievements. Fostering long-term emotional health is important, and here are some ways to attempt to do so:

• Create a “Feelings” jar: Every time your child manages a tricky emotion (e.g., calms down after being angry, comforts a friend), drop a marble or $1 into the jar. Celebrate with a small treat at the end of the week.

• Reward their efforts: Instead of stressing their shortcomings or faults, instead say “I saw how frustrated you were with your math homework, but you kept trying – I’m proud of that” or ““It was kind of you to share your toys with your friend, even though you were tired”

BUILDING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE WITH CULTURE

The unique thing about living in Singapore is that kids grow up in a rich mix of cultures, languages, and traditions. Part of EQ is learning to understand others as much as understanding oneself. Cultural sensitivity is important as well when it comes to developing empathy.

How to build cultural empathy:

• Expose them to different festivals and traditions: Visit Geylang Serai during Ramadan, Little India during Deepavali, or a Chinese temple during Lunar New Year to expose the kiddos to different cultures and ways of lifes.
• Read books that reflect diversity: Look for children’s books with Singaporean themes, or stories from various cultures, that highlight different emotional experiences and values.
• Talk about differences respectfully: If your child notices something different about cultures and questions about it, take it as a teachable moment to educate them.

WORK WITH SCHOOLS AND THEIR TEACHERS

Beyond the home, schools and childcare centres also play big roles too. Many local and international schools in Singapore now integrate SEL (Social Emotional Learning) into their curriculum. A holistic approach involving home and school is more effective in nurturing emotionally intelligent kids – especially in a system that’s often results-driven.

Tips for partnering with educators:

• Attend parent-teacher meetings with EQ in mind: Ask how your child interacts with peers, manages stress, or shows empathy.
• Support school-led initiatives like peer mediation, kindness weeks, or mental wellness campaigns.
• Encourage your child to talk about their school day beyond just academics. Ask, “Who did you play with today?” or “Was there anything that made you feel nervous or proud?”