ABSTRACT
One of the five outcomes of the Every Child Matters agenda (Department for Education and Skills 2003) highlights the importance of children having emotional literacy skills if they are to make positive contributions within their communities and homes. Evidence suggests that if children are emotionally aware, they are more emotionally articulate and demonstrate greater impulse control and reasoned decision making (Elias and Weissberg 2000). Furthermore, emotional literacy skills are considered important with regards to both prevention and risk reduction in relation to children’s positive emotional, psychological and social health (Adi et al. 2007; Humphrey et al. 2007; National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 2008).
