Emotional Intelligence

Learning & Development
 10 Jul 2024

See how an Excellent-rated early learning service builds children’s emotional awareness with the help of character-based communication toys and a whole team of amazing educators!           

BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

JULY 10, 2024

Adults know that life has ups and downs and sharing is caring, but for under-fives, emotional intelligence isn’t always a given!  

It takes time for little people to learn how to manage their emotions and understand the emotions of other people. 

However, it’s good to know that babies and toddlers are capable of emotional awareness, and as pre-schoolers grow, so too does their ability to make sense of different feelings, and master those tricky social-emotional skills, like turn-taking! 

Along the way, positive role models and a thoughtful early learning program definitely help; and one place that teaches emotional intelligence in a really clever way, is Belrose Community & Children’s Centre.  

Belrose is run by Northern Beaches Council in Sydney, and this incredible centre has just received its second consecutive Excellent rating from the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. 

This is a testament to the huge care and expertise that goes into their early learning offering, and when it comes to emotional intelligence, every child’s capabilities are nurtured.  

At Belrose, there’s a focus on emotional regulation, awareness and intelligence in all age groups; and to learn more, we’ve spoken with Katie Dresner, Educational Leader at the centre.  

Katie explains that, “In every aspect of the day, and through interactions with the children, we ensure there is a focus on emotional intelligence, even if we don’t always see the outcomes immediately.” 

This is important, because the bulk of a child’s brain development happens in their first five years, and although emotional intelligence is something that emerges over time, emotional awareness can be nurtured from the get-go.  

Katie says, “Infants and toddlers begin to show signs of emotional awareness often through their attachments with their trusted adults, and even when interacting with peers.  

“When a baby is sharing a smile, passing a toy to their peer, or crying when a peer starts to cry, we can see the learning occurring,” and the team helps littlies to build their emotional understanding well before they start applying their social-emotional skills as preschoolers.  

Beginning in the babies room, and implemented in every age group, Belrose has a special emotional awareness program called ‘Kimochis’. 

‘Kimochi’ is the Japanese word for ‘feeling’ and the Kimochis program is delivered with the help of some character plush toys that each have their own emotions and stories.  

Katie says, “We have found the children can relate to the plush toys, and having the tangible characters helps the connection.  

“For example, the Cloud character can be happy, sad or mad, and the social stories provide tools to manage emotions, such as deep breathing.”  

She explains that, “With Cloud, the children can ‘smell the flowers and blow the candles’ to help them navigate big emotions throughout the day.  

“The Kimochis also show the children that feelings can change, so you can feel sad and happy throughout the day.”   

The program helps Belrose’s educators to know which language to use when making sense of different situations. However, they also take the time to understand each child.  

This means getting to know them as the unique person they are, and using emotional coaching techniques that help each child to label their feelings, and know that it’s ok to have these feelings.  

When big emotions do burst out (like sadness, frustration and anger), Belrose’s educators help the child to recognise their own self and reactions, and think about where the emotion has come from, rather than managing the emotion for them.  

This individualised approach also helps the child to understand other people’s emotions, which is a key part of emotional intelligence.  

Katie says, “Getting to know each child, and supporting them to know themselves, provides them with independence, agency and empathy towards others’ emotions,” and this is valuable for them and the whole childcare community.  

Speaking of community, Belrose’s educators also help to foster emotional intelligence outside the centre by building bonds with families and the wider world.  

The team knows how important it is to connect and work with families to support their children, and as part of this, the Kimochi sessions are shared with families once a week. 

Parents are given weblinks, games and resources that can be used to support emotional awareness at home; and Belrose also enlists the help of experts (like therapists and allied health professionals) when children and families need extra support. 

The centre also has amazing partnerships with people in the wider community, which Katie describes as, “The pinnacle in our success.” 

Belrose has forged meaningful connections with local charities, emergency services, sustainability projects and Indigenous communities; and these partnerships often help to build the children’s emotional intelligence.  

For example, drawing a picture for a hospital care package, or creating artworks for the Belrose Rural Fire Brigade to display on their Open Days, shows the children how their actions can positively affect others, and this helps to build their empathy from a positive perspective.  

Belrose also has a great initiative called ‘Meeting of the Minds,’ which ensures that the children feel like important members of the Belrose childcare community.  

‘Meeting of the Minds’ is the name given to the frequent catch-ups that Katie has with the preschool children, and each meeting is an opportunity for her to seek the children’s input about what they need in their learning community.   

These meetings can lead to great improvements. 

For example, when the children were all talking about the things they missed from home and their family, Katie and her team put their own minds together and came up with some ways to increase the connection between home and childcare.  

She explains, “We now have more special events where families are invited; we run a mascot program where children can take the native mascots and books home; and the children are welcome to bring in comfort/special toys from home to support them if needed.” 

Underpinning all of this emotional learning is a deep commitment to the children’s sense of self and future prospects.  

The team knows how important emotional wellbeing is when children move to big school (or encounter life’s ups and downs). 

And by teaching emotional awareness from early on, they hope to build each child’s self-esteem; arm them with tools to understand their thoughts, feelings and actions; and ultimately, help them approach the world with resilience, kindness and respect. 

This is so important, and if you’d like to see Belrose’s approach in action, you can enquire with this Excellent-rated service via kindicare.com or the KindiCare app.  

All photos © Karen Watson