Myths in Emotional Education
Myths in Emotional Education at the Early Childhood Education Stage
Emotional education in early childhood has gained relevance in recent years, but there are still many myths that limit its true potential. These misconceptions arise mostly from underestimating young children or from an incomplete understanding of emotions and their management. Today, I want to discuss three widespread myths and debunk them:
1. "Young children do not understand emotions"
We often think that children cannot understand what they feel or that emotions are too complex for them. However, research shows the opposite: from a very young age, children are capable of identifying emotions in themselves and in others. Denham et al. (2022) point out that preschool-aged children recognize basic facial expressions and understand, albeit in a budding way, how emotions influence actions.
Underestimating them means missing opportunities to support their emotional development from the very beginning. They do understand, and the earlier we provide them with tools, the better.
2. "Negative emotions must be avoided"
Many times we want to protect children from sadness, frustration, or anger, thinking that this will prevent their suffering. But negative emotions are just as important as positive ones. Waters et al. (2021) explain that learning to face and regulate these emotions in a safe environment strengthens resilience and helps children self-regulate.
When we avoid negative emotions, the only thing we achieve is that children lack strategies to deal with them when they inevitably arise. The key is to support, validate what they feel, and teach them how to manage it.
3. "Talking about emotions resolves conflicts"
It is true that talking about what we feel is essential, but it is not enough to resolve conflicts. Imagine two children fighting over a toy: having each one say 'I feel angry' will not solve the problem if we don't take it a step further. Graziano et al. (2021) explain that dialogue must go hand in hand with concrete strategies, such as proposing solutions, negotiating, or taking turns. Talking about emotions opens the door, but we must teach them how to walk through it.
Conclusion
If we want emotional education to have a real impact on children's lives, we must leave these myths behind: Children understand emotions, negative emotions teach, and talking about them is helpful, but it doesn't solve everything.
Investing in conscious emotional education will help them grow with more tools to face life and connect with others.
References
Denham, S. A., Bassett, H. H., & Zinsser, K. (2022). Early Childhood Emotional Development: Key Processes and Their Importance. Child Development Perspectives, 16(1), 25-32. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12420
Graziano, P. A., Reavis, R. D., Keane, S. P., & Calkins, S. D. (2021). The Role of Emotion Regulation in Children's Early Academic Success. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(3), 493-506. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000603
Waters, S. F., Virmani, E. A., & Thompson, R. A. (2021). Emotions and Emotion Regulation in Early Childhood Development: The Role of Caregivers. Emotion Review, 13(2), 109-119. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073920976824
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