Why do emotions matter?
Emotions influence our attention and ability to learn.
Emotions influence our decisions.
Emotions influence physical and mental health.
Emotions influence our relationships.
Emotions affect our performance at school, at home, and at the workplace.
The Skills and Tools of Emotional Intelligence
The Mood Meter
The Mood Meter enhances self and social awareness by identifying a color with the way one feels. The meter focuses on your energy level and your pleasantness level.
RULER Acronym
RULER is an acronym for five key skills of emotional intelligence.
Recognizing
Identifying emotions in ourselves and others allows us to:
Better understand others
Have positive social interactions
Work well in groups
Know when children need emotional support
Understanding
Knowing the cause of our own feelings and that an event may cause different emotional reactions in each person allows us to:
Anticipate, manage, or prevent unwanted feelings in ourselves and others
Promote wanted feelings in ourselves and others
Support children's emotional needs
Labeling
Knowing feeling words allows us to:
Communicate our feelings
Appropriately manage our feelings
Help children learn new vocabulary to express their feelings
Expressing
Learning how to display our feelings helps us to:
Appropriately act in social situations
Properly model social behavior for children
Regulate
Developing strategies to manage feelings allows us to:
Be more effective in reaching our goals
Feel more, less or the same of an emotion
Make wise choices about how we respond to emotional situations
More About RULER
RULER is an evidence-based approach for integrating social and emotional learning into schools. RULER applies “hard science” to the teaching of what have historically been called “soft skills.” RULER teaches the skills of emotional intelligence — those associated with recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotion. Decades of research show that these skills are essential to effective teaching and learning, sound decision making, physical and mental health, and success in school and beyond.
RULER creates schools that are true safe harbors for our children. It does this by developing emotional intelligence in students from preschool to high school and in all adults involved in their education: school administrators, teachers, and support staff. Parents also participate in training so that they can reinforce the emotional skills that students learn at school. Our approach gives a unique depth and consistency to social and emotional learning that empowers school leaders and teachers to create a genuinely safe space for students to learn and grow.
-Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Find out what you can do at home to support your child's social and emotional wellness at RULER's Resources for Families