A process for assessing and developing an individual's emotional intelligence is preferably utilized with young children who are still in the process of developing their various emotional states (i.e., happy, sad, angry, scared, jealous, surprised, worried, embarrassed, shy, proud). A hierarchical definition of emotional building blocks ((1) awareness of self and others; (2) emotional management; (3) empathy and compassion; (4) self-motivation and optimistic thinking; and (5) management of peer relationships) is used to provide an orderly progression through various learning activities. A set of age-appropriate learning objects (e.g., toys and games) are developed and associated with each one of the building blocks. A parent/caretaker/teacher then uses the learning object with the individual/child to assist him/her in developing the associated set of emotional states.
Process for assessing and developing emotional intelligence in early childhood