Let's Learn: Why We Love Emojis

While we live in the Golden Age of the Smartphone, emojis have become all too common in written text and pop culture.

Although they may seem like a simple and silly edition to a text or social media post, they're actually an amazing tool in a child's development. Let's check out a few reasons why parents should support their children's emoji obsession.

Teaching Social-Emotional Cues

For preschool to elementary school age children, using emojis is a great way to begin conversations about mindfulness of emotions.

While some emojis are pretty obvious as to what emotion they express, some are more vague. This is when it gets interesting--kids will have to actively think about how another person might perceive their emoji choice.

By doing this, kids will develop a deeper understanding of others' feelings, improving their emotional intelligence.

Wired magazine also investigate how young children are learning to express and respond in written form through the use of emojis.  

Connecting People of All Backgrounds

Emojis can help people of all ages and backgrounds connect. Especially for kids who haven't yet developed language skills, emojis are a great way to communicate when words fail them.

In some cases, activities involving emojis can be used as a pathway into learning written word.

Since emojis have no exact connotation, they're a useful tool to help kids develop a deeper understanding of emotional literacy when choosing an emoticon that matches what they're feeling.

In fact, they have become so ingrained in our everyday communication that in 2015, the Oxford Dictionaries chose an emoji as its Word of The Year!

 Most importantly, emojis have grown from an internet trend to a useful classroom tool because they are universally understood and teach children mindfulness and understanding.