What is Emotional intelligence (EI)?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own feelings and the feelings of others.

Imagine you have a toy box full of different toys, some make you happy, some make you sad, and some make you angry. Emotional intelligence is like having a special map that helps you know which toy you're holding, how it makes you feel, and what to do next. It’s not just about knowing your own emotions; it's also about being able to see when someone else is happy or upset and helping them feel better.

Emotional intelligence has two main parts: understanding yourself and understanding others. When you understand yourself, you know how you feel when something happens, like when you're excited about getting a new toy or frustrated when your favorite toy breaks.

When you understand others, you can tell when your friend is upset because they lost a game or happy because they got a sticker. This helps you be a better friend and make more fun games together.

So emotional intelligence is like having a superpower that helps you play nicely with others and feel good about yourself, even when things don’t go perfectly!