Why films are vital for children’s emotional intelligence
1982 film by Steven Spielberg Extraterrestrial ET It’s an enduring classic for many reasons: it used groundbreaking animatronics, had a terrific score by John Williams, and featured flying bikes. But what really helped it stand the test of time was its emotional core.
Elliott, a young boy in California, befriends an alien stranded on Earth. Instead of seeing extraterrestrials as an otherworldly threat like everyone else, Elliott sees them as a lost, misunderstood creature in need of help. It’s a heartwarming tearjerker for the adults watching. But for younger viewers, it’s so much more.
“It teaches 100 per cent empathy. You really feel what the people on screen are feeling and you carry that into your life outside of the cinema,” says Reece Goodwin, senior curator of film and TV at the Australian Center for the Moving Image (ACMI).
MEAT is one of many films that help young viewers better identify and understand emotions, both within themselves and in others. This strengthens their emotional intelligence; However, most children do not know what emotional intelligence is or why it is such an important life skill. Meanwhile, an increasing number of parents are enemy screen time.
To combat this, ACMI launched Children’s Movies with Feelings, regular sessions in which children watch a carefully selected film and then reflect on how the film made them feel.
“The film is so important. It’s a unique way to follow someone else’s experience for 90 minutes or two hours, which may be really different from our own. For that time, you get to see the world through their eyes and really experience what they’re feeling,” Goodwin says, adding that the show’s audience has tripled between 2023 and 2025.
While emotional intelligence comes naturally to some children, Goodwin says others can develop it over time. Film plays a vital role in this regard; because young viewers pick up on emotional cues, all of which can then carry over into their own lives and relationships.
For 12-year-old Florence Romstad-Contreras, Meet Me in St Louis (1944) introduced him to the feeling of frustration triggered by injustice. “When the father in the movie announces that the whole family is moving to New York, it feels so unfair,” he says.
Inside coconutexplored the intricacies of grief and discovered the power of honoring loved ones through their memories. “Song Recuerdame it’s so sad to watch lovely old Coco sing this song while thinking about her father! “So many tears were shed while watching this movie.”
Goodwin points out Bridge to TerabithiaScreened as part of Kids’ Flicks, the film is about a young boy struggling with great pain after the sudden death of his close friend. Goodwin says this movie not only helps children better identify feelings of sadness, but also introduces them to the inevitability of loss.
“It could be the expression on their face, the tone of their voice, the way they move their body. All of these give us clues and [our sessions] It forces young viewers to be really active viewers,” says Goodwin.
Goodwin adds that movies expand children’s emotional vocabulary, especially when they’re faced with more subtle or nuanced emotions they can’t yet express: anxiety, happiness, isolation, melancholy. Inside Out 2 It goes so far as to include a character called “Anxiety” who gives children a physical example of how emotion can be felt and what it can look like.
says 11-year-old Kids’ Flicks participant Macy Varrall: Inside Out While it taught him the difference between basic emotions, the sequel dealt with emotions that are often experienced with age.
“Now when I experience an emotion, I imagine who it is in the movie,” he says. “Now that I’m a little older, I also like movies like these: High School Musical, Feel the Rhythm And The Kissing Booth … Sometimes I feel like I’m the person in the movie. “It’s like I’m experiencing everything with them.”
Louise Paatsch, deputy director of Deakin’s Center for Educational Impact Research, says it is often easier for children to pick up on these emotional cues in films compared to other texts such as books. This is largely due to the interaction between the audio and visual elements in the film; matches facial expressions, voice or musical tones. This versatile grip often stays with them longer, Paatsch says.
Most children generally watch movies in a safe, controlled environment, whether in a theater or at home. The familiarity and safety of such spaces allow young audiences to explore uncomfortable or upsetting emotions in a healthy and constructive way.
Get Jim Henson’s MazeAnother movie shown as part of Kids’ Flicks. The goblin-heavy film is dark and disturbing – it centers on a baby kidnapping, after all – but kids can safely process the fear it raises, while also allowing them to see the courage and confidence it displays.
As beneficial as watching movies can be for children’s EQ, post-viewing discussions are equally critical, says Paatsch.
“Parents can help shape the meaning around how children interpret the narrative, how they might interpret the character or the character’s emotions,” says Paatsch. “Young children are full of emotions, so if parents can support their child’s level of understanding, it can also help them with their own emotional regulation. It’s about how you support them to understand this world they’ve just watched.”
This kind of co-monitoring also improving children’s socialization and general well-being.
Screens are here to stay, so it’s important for parents to focus on the context in which the screen is used rather than the time spent with the screen. After all, I’m watching ET – A family-friendly film handpicked by ACMI that explores the value of empathizing with those different from yourself is ultimately more likely to benefit rather than harm a young mind.
Children’s Movies Full of Emotions It will be held at ACMI from April 6th through April 18th, starting at Cartoon Saloon The Secret of Kells.
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Nell Geraets is a Culture and Lifestyle reporter for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
