Importance of Infants and Toddlers’ Development of Social
and Emotional Skills
FAMILIES, DID YOU KNOW YOU PLAY A
CRUCIAL ROLE IN YOUR CHILDREN’S
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT?
Families, did you know that you are children’s first teacher
in every area of their life and learning domains, from their
cognitive thinking to their social and emotional
development? Let us guide and help your children build on
their social and emotional skills first by understanding that
social and emotional development is typically a child’s
ability to understand their feelings of others, regulate their
feelings and emotions and develop relationships with others
starting at infancy into their toddler years.
Families, did you know this area of development that
people are most intentional about? Infants are not born with
social/emotional skills. It is through your context as a
parent and family to build a responsive relationship to help
your child gain a sense of self with others and learn how to
manage and regulate feelings and emotions that will last
them until adulthood. Families let role model positive
interaction and engagement to foster positive social and
emotional skills for your children’s growth.
PROMOTING HEALTHY SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL
IN INFANTS AND TODDLERS
Families can help children with their social and emotional FAMILIES BUILDING
SOCIAL AND
skills by promoting and providing positive social–emotional
opportunities that help children feel good about themselves
and develop their confidence with positive affirmation,
engagements, and interactions with children to help them
first build a secure attachment with people around them.
EMOTIONAL
Families also can and always love their children, and
showing your affection for them with hugs, cuddles, reading,
and talking with them throughout the day will help them
DEVELOPMENT IN
interact with their peers and the people around them. INFANTS AND
Families can give their children opportunities to play with
other children their age, which helps them explore their
world, learn from friends, and get to know people by role-
TODDLERS
modeling kind and generous behaviors. Families can also
establish daily routines and expectations to help children feel
confident and secure as they learn that events can happen in
an organized and communicated way.
Families can also show their feelings and let their children
see when they are happy or sad, helping them develop
empathy for others. Lastly, families can also acknowledge
their children's feelings by assisting them in talking about
what they think and feel while comforting them as they ‘Social and emotional skills are the first
communicate their emotions. essential step for our children to develop
strong bonds and secure attachments to the
people and the world around them. “
Five Indicators and
Characteristics of Your Children
have healthy and strong social
and emotional skills.
Did you know your child will begin to
develop their skills by having self–awareness, self-
management, responsible decision-making, social
awareness, and relationship skills?
Some indicators include your children or child
involving their thoughts and feelings by themselves
and their relationships, such as playing near other
children or adults around them and initiating play,
growing awareness of who and what around them.
Show signs of independence like saying “no” or
defending their possessions and having difficulty
sharing but can also be very affectionate with hugs
and kisses, developing a sense of humor, and more.
It is essential to understand that children learn to
regulate their emotions and form positive
relationships with adults and peers as early as infancy.
Children begin to use facial gestures and expressions
to express their feelings as a nonverbal form of
communication. They will watch other children and
briefly join their play or group activity. Children will
notice and develop concern for others’ emotions,
showing empathy, compassion, and awareness of
others’ feelings.
Families’ children learn to rely on
the trust and attachments they have
built with you, the family, in their
lives. Healthy social and emotional development
depends on these secure attachments, so much
social and emotional learning occurs in infants and
toddlers. In families, your children are born with
unique ways of working through life experiences,
showing their feelings, interacting with the world,
and showing differences in activity levels,
regularity, adaptability, approach/ withdrawal,
physical sensitivity, the intensity of reaction,
distractibility, positive or negative mood, and
persistence these all different traits of temperament
Education begins when we
your children will show as they are developing see children as innately wise
their social and emotional skills, It important
understanding temperament and how each may and capable beings. Only
require a different approach when helping and
guiding your child to develop their social and
then can we play along in
emotional skills it critical to support infant and their world!
toddler growth and development across all
domains of learning.
- VinceGowmon.com –
-
References:
Promoting Social-Emotional Development in Your Child | La Petite Academy. (n.d.).
https://www.lapetite.com/blog/2015/02/promoting-social-emotional-development-in-your-child/#:~:text=Love%20your
%20child%20and%20show,what%20they%20are%20capable%20of.