Socio-emotional

development of an
Infants and Toddlers
 Children Learn What They Live
If a child lives with critism, he learns to condemn...
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight...
If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive...
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself...
If a child lives with redicule, he learns to be shy...
If a child lives with jealously, he learns to feel guilt..
But...
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient...
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident...
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciative...
If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love...
If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is...
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice...
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those a bout him...
If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in which to live...
Formative years - it is the first three years of a
child where considered as of the most important
in human development. Parents and caregivers at
this stage of human development play a significant
role in the development of an Infants and
Toddlers.
Elements of Socio-emotional development of a
children:
• Attachment
• Temperament
• The emergence of the moral self
• Attachment- it is a term used to describe
the emotional relationship that develops
between an infant and the primary caregiver,
during the first year of life.
• Temperament - is a word that "captures the
way that people differ, even at birth, in such
things as their emotional reactions,activity
level, attention span, persistence and ability to
regulate their emotions.
 Different Temperament categories:
1. Activity level - Inactive or active
2. Mood - bleak or cheerful
3. Child's threshold for distress - sensitive or patient
4. The rhythmicity of children - predictable or unpredictable
5. The intensity of response in each baby - high or low
6. Approach to new situation - cautious or welcoming
7. Distraction - easily distracted or focused
8. Adaptability of each child - adaptable or immutable
9. Child's attention span - continue or change
 3 Basic Types of Temperament
(Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess)
1. Easy child - adapts readily to new experience or people
2. The slow-to-warm-up child - adjust slowly to new experience or people
3. The difficult child - tends to react negatively or intensely to new things
• The emergence of the moral self - a
sense of morality presupposes awareness of the
existence of moral standards and the ability to
evaluate oneself against standards. Once
children can recognize themselves as an entities,
they become capable of self evaluation and self
description against a set of standards.
Social and Emotional development
Early Infancy - between six and ten weeks, a social smile emerges, usually accompanied
by other pleasure-indicative actions and sounds, including cooing and mouthing. This
social smile occurs in response to adult smiles and interactions.
Later infancy months (7-12) - during the half of the first year, Infants begin
expressing fear, disgust, and anger because of maturation of cognitive abilities.
Toddlerhood years (1-2) - during the second year, Infants express emotions
of shame or embarrassment and pride. These emotions mature in all
children and adults contribute to their development.

Emotional understanding
During this stage of development, toddlers acquire language and are
learning to verbally express their feelings.
 Erikson's Psychosocial Theory
Stage 1: Infancy
Psychosocial crisis :Trust vs. Mistrust
Maladaptation : Sensory Maladjustment
Malignancy : withdrawal
Virtue : Hope
 Stage 2 : Toddlers (2-3 years old)
Psychosocial crisis : autonomy vs. shame and doubt
Maladaptation : Impulsiveness
Malignancy : Compulsiveness
Virtue : Willpower or determination