Social development of the child: Developmental Domain Series: Social Development

Опубликовано: August 29, 2021 в 11:12 am

Автор: alexxlab

Категории: Child

Developmental Domain Series: Social Development

Our Blog: November 7^th, 2018

This month, let’s take a closer look at the Social-Emotional Domain, focusing on social development.

Social development is the process through which children learn to build relationships. It involves learning the values, knowledge, and skills necessary to understand how to get along with others.

Everyday experiences at home support children’s developing social skills. Families give children their first opportunities to communicate and build relationships. As an adult family member, you also model for your child how to effectively and respectfully interact with the people around you.

Here are some great ways for you to promote Social Development at home:

Infants:

When interacting with your infant, get down to their level so you can make eye contact. Connecting visually is an important part of meaningful interactions.
Babble and talk to your baby. Don’t forget to pause so your baby can respond with a smile or a coo!
Involve your infant in your daily activities. This allows you to model how to interact with others in respectful, positive ways.

Toddlers/Twos:

Arrange playdates so that your child can interact with other children. Encourage your child to address others by their names.
Give your child lots of positive reinforcement when they play respectfully with other children.
Encourage your child to use words such as “stop” or “no” when someone is doing something they don’t like. Talk to your child about how it is better to use words than to hit.

Preschool/Pre-K:

Model and encourage cooperative behavior when you play and interact with your child.
Model the caring and empathetic behavior that you want your child to learn. For example, hug someone if they are sad and talk about why this is a kind thing to do.
Give your child words they can use when they want to join a group play activity. For example, “I see you want to play tag with your cousins. You can go ask to join the game.”

School Age:

Encourage your child to be the first to greet a friend when they see them. Provide positive feedback when your child exhibits this behavior.
Talk to your child about their friends. Ask them questions about their friends’ personalities and interests. Emphasize that when you are friends with someone, it’s important to learn about them and take part in their interests.
When your child has a conflict with a peer or sibling, allow them the opportunity to resolve it on their own. If the problem persists, ask your child if you can help in any way.

Here’s a great resource about how to support Social-Emotional Development at home:
https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/building-social-emotional-skills-at-home

Next month we’ll focus on Physical Development.

Miss the most recent article in our series? Read it here.

About the Author

Dr.

Susan Canizares

Dr. Susan Canizares is the Chief Academic Officer at Learning Care Group, responsible for leading all aspects of the educational mission. Dr. Canizares earned her Ph.D. in language and literacy development from Fordham University and a master’s degree in special education, specializing in Early Childhood, from New York University. She has authored more than 100 nonfiction photographic titles for beginning readers. Some of her published credits include Side by Side Series: Little Raccoon Catches a Cold and A Writer’s Garden.

Let’s Connect!

Social Development in Children | SCAN Families

Ask any parent about their child’s development, and they’ll often talk about speech and language development, gross motor skills or even physical growth. But a child’s social development—her ability to interact with other children and adults—is a critical piece of the development puzzle.

What is social development?

Social development refers to the process by which a child learns to interact with others around them. As they develop and perceive their own individuality within their community, they also gain skills to communicate with other people and process their actions. Social development most often refers to how a child develops friendships and other relationships, as well how a child handles conflict with peers.

Why is social development so important?

Social development can actually impact many of the other forms of development a child experiences. A child’s ability to interact in a healthy way with the people around her can impact everything from learning new words as a toddler, to being able to resist peer pressure as a high school student, to successfully navigating the challenges of adulthood. Healthy social development can help your child:

Develop language skills. An ability to interact with other children allows for more opportunities to practice and learn speech and language skills. This is a positive cycle, because as communication skills improve, a child is better able to relate to and react to the people around him.
Build self esteem. Other children provide a child with some of her most exciting and fun experiences. When a young child is unable to make friends it can be frustrating or even painful. A healthy circle of friends reinforces a child’s comfort level with her own individuality.
Strengthen learning skills. In addition to the impact social development can have on general communication skills, many researchers believe that having healthy relationships with peers (from preschool on up) allows for adjustment to different school settings and challenges. Studies show that children who have a hard time getting along with classmates as early as preschool are more likely to experience later academic difficulties.
Resolve conflicts. Stronger self esteem and better language skills can ultimately lead to a better ability to resolve differences with peers.
Establish positive attitude. A positive attitude ultimately leads to better relationships with others and higher levels of self confidence.

How can parents make a difference when it comes to social development?

Studies show that everyday experiences with parents are fundamental to a child’s developing social skill-set. Parents provide a child with their very first opportunities to develop a relationship, communicate and interact. As a parent, you also model for your child every day how to interact with the people around you.

Because social development is not talked about as much as some other developmental measures, it can be hard for parents to understand the process AND to evaluate how their child is developing in this area. There are some basic developmental milestones at every age, as well as some helpful tips a parent can use to support their child.

Infants & Toddlers:

During the first 2 years of life, huge amounts of development are rapidly occurring. You can expect your child to:
– Smile and react positively to you and other caregivers
– Develop stranger anxiety—though it can be frustrating, this is a normal step in development
– Develop an attachment to a comfort object such as a blanket or animal
– Begin to show anxiety around other children
– Imitate adults and children—just as a child develops in other ways, many social skills are learned simply through copying what a parent or sibling does
– Already be affected by emotions of parents and others around them

As a parent, you can:
– Respond to your baby’s needs promptly—your child is learning how to trust someone
– Make eye contact with your baby—get down to their level and connect visually when you interact with them
– Babble and talk to your baby, always pausing to allow them to respond
– Play copycat with words and actions
– Play “peekaboo”—this teaches your child that even if you “disappear” you will come back, and sets the stage for less stranger anxiety in the future
– Involve your baby in daily activities such as running errands or visiting friends—this shows them how you interact with others in a respectful, positive way
– Begin to arrange playdates so that your child can interact with peers

Preschoolers:

By this age, the stage has been set in the earliest years (mostly by parental and other family interactions) for a child to branch out. As preschool begins your child can:
– Explore independently
– Express affection openly, though not always accurately—there can still be much frustration for your child as language development is still happening
– Still show some stranger anxiety
– Perfect the temper tantrum—it can be stressful, but tantrums are a normal part of child development
– Learn how to soothe themselves
– Be more aware of others’ emotions
– Cooperate with other children
– Express fear or anxiety before an upcoming event (such as a doctor visit)

As a parent, you can:
– Demonstrate your own love through words and physical affection—which is a great way to begin teaching a child how to express other emotions as well
– Help your child express their emotions by talking through what they are feeling
– Play with your child in a “peer-like” way to encourage cooperative play—this is helpful when they are in a group environment and have to share toys and cooperate
– Continue to provide play dates and opportunities to interact with other children
– Provide examples of your trust in others, such as your own friendships or other relationships

School children:

By 5 and older, a child’s social development begins to reach new levels. This is a point in time when most children will spend more hours in a day with other children than with their parents. It is normal for them to:
– Thrive on friendships
– Want to please friends, as well as be more like their friends
– Begin to recognize power in relationships, as well as the larger community
– Recognize and fear bullies or display bully-like behavior themselves
– As early as 10, children may begin to reject parents’ opinion of friends and certain behaviors—this is a normal step, but can be especially frustrating for parents

As a parent, you can:
– Talk with your child about social relationships and values by asking them about school and friends every day
– Allow children the opportunity to discuss social conflicts and problem-solve their reactions/actions
– Discuss the subject of bullying and harassment, both in person and on the Internet
– Allow older children to work out everyday problems on their own
– Keep the lines of communication open—as a parent, you want to make yourself available to listen and support your child in non-judgmental ways

Your child’s social development is a complex issue that is constantly changing. But the good news is that parents can have a big impact on how it progresses. By modeling healthy relationships and staying connected with your child, you can help them relate to the people around them in positive, beneficial ways. By encouraging them to engage with other children and adults, you’re setting them up to enjoy the benefits of social health—from good self esteem to strong communication skills to the ability to trust and connect with those around them.

Social Development in Preschoolers – HealthyChildren.org

During your child’s preschool-age years, they’ll discover a lot about themselves and interacting with people around them.

Once they reach age three, your child will be much less selfish than they were before. They’ll also be less dependent on you, a sign that their own sense of identity is stronger and more secure. Now they’ll actually play with other children, interacting instead of just playing side by side. In the process, they’ll recognize that not everyone thinks exactly as they do and that each of their playmates has many unique qualities, some attractive and some not. You’ll also find your child drifting toward certain kids and starting to develop friendships with them. As they create these friendships, children discover that they, too, each have special qualities that make them likable—a revelation that gives a vital boost to self-esteem.

There’s some more good news about your child’s development at this age: As they become more aware of and sensitive to the feelings and actions of others, they’ll gradually stop competing and will learn to cooperate when playing with her friends. They take turns and share toys in small groups, though sometimes they won’t. But instead of grabbing, whining, or screaming for something, they’ll actually ask politely much of the time. You can look forward to less aggressive behavior and calmer play sessions. Three-year-olds are able to work out solutions to disputes by taking turns or trading toys.

Learning how to cooperate

However, particularly in the beginning, you’ll need to encourage this cooperation. For instance, you might suggest that they “use their words” to deal with problems instead of acting out. Also, remind them that when two children are sharing a toy, each gets an equal turn. Suggest ways to reach a simple solution when your child and another child want the same toy, such as drawing for the first turn or finding another toy or activity. This doesn’t work all the time, but it’s worth a try. Also, help children with the appropriate words to describe their feelings and desires so that they don’t feel frustrated. Above all, show by your own example how to cope peacefully with conflicts. If you have an explosive temper, try to tone down your reactions in their presence. Otherwise, they’ll mimic your behavior whenever they’re under stress.

When anger or frustration gets physical

No matter what you do, however, there probably will be times when your child’s anger or frustration becomes physical. When that happens, restrain them from hurting others, and if they don’t calm down quickly, move them away from the other children. Talk to them about her feelings and try to determine why they’re so upset. Let them know you understand and accept her feelings, but make it clear that physically attacking another child is not a good way to express these emotions.

Saying sorry

Help them see the situation from the other child’s point of view by reminding them of a time when someone hit or screamed at them, and then suggest more peaceful ways to resolve their conflicts. Finally, once they understand what they’ve done wrong—but not before—ask them to apologize to the other child. However, simply saying “I’m sorry” may not help your child correct their behavior; they also needs to know why they’re apologizing. They may not understand right away, but give it time; by age four these explanations will begin to mean something.

Make-believe play

Fortunately, the normal interests of three-year-olds keep fights to a minimum. They spend much of their playtime in fantasy activity, which tends to be more cooperative than play that’s focused on toys or games. As you’ve probably already seen, preschooler enjoy assigning different roles in an elaborate game of make-believe using imaginary or household objects. This type of play helps develop important social skills, such as taking turns, paying attention, communicating (through actions and expressions as well as words), and responding to one another’s actions. And there’s still another benefit: Because pretend play allows children to slip into any role they wish—including superheroes or the fairy godmother—it also helps them explore more complex social ideas. Plus it helps improve executive functioning such as problem-solving

By watching the role-playing in your child’s make-believe games, you may see that they’re beginning to identify their own gender and gender identity. While playing house, boys naturally will adopt the father’s role and girls the mother’s, reflecting whatever they’ve noticed in the hemworld around them.

Development of gender roles & identity

Research shows that a few of the developmental and behavioral differences that typically distinguish boys from girls are biologically determined. Most gender-related characteristics at this age are more likely to be shaped by culture and family. Your daughter, for example, may be encouraged to play with dolls by advertisements, gifts from well-meaning relatives, and the approving comments of adults and other children. Boys, meanwhile, may be guided away from dolls in favor of more rough-and-tumble games and sports. Children sense the approval and disapproval and adjust their behavior accordingly. Thus, by the time they enter kindergarten, children’s gender identities are often well established.

As children start to think in categories, they often understand the boundaries of these labels without understanding that boundaries can be flexible; children this age often will take this identification process to an extreme. Girls may insist on wearing dresses, nail polish, and makeup to school or to the playground. Boys may swagger, be overly assertive, and carry their favorite ball, bat, or truck everywhere.

On the other hand, some girls and boys reject these stereotypical expressions of gender identity, preferring to choose toys, playmates, interests, mannerisms, and hairstyles that are more often associated with the opposite sex. These children are sometimes called gender expansive, gender variant, gender nonconforming, gender creative, or gender atypical. Among these gender expansive children are some who may come to feel that their deep inner sense of being female or male—their gender identity—is the opposite of their biologic sex, somewhere in between male and female, or another gender; these children are sometimes called transgender.

Given that many three-year-old children are doubling down on gender stereotypes, this can be an age in which a gender-expansive child stands out from the crowd. These children are normal and healthy, but it can be difficult for parents to navigate their child’s expression and identity if it is different from their expectations or the expectations of those around them.

Experimenting with gender attitudes & behaviors

As children develop their own identity during these early years, they’re bound to experiment with attitudes and behaviors of both sexes. There’s rarely reason to discourage such impulses, except when the child is resisting or rejecting strongly established cultural standards. If your son wanted to wear dresses every day or your daughter only wants to wear sport shorts like her big brother, allow the phase to pass unless it is inappropriate for a specific event. If the child persists, however, or seems unusually upset about their gender, discuss the issue with your pediatrician.

Your child also may imitate certain types of behavior that adults consider sexual, such as flirting. Children this age have no mature sexual intentions, though; they mimic these mannerisms. If the imitation of sexual behavior is explicit, though, they may have been personally exposed to sexual acts. You should discuss this with your pediatrician, as it could be a sign of sexual abuse or the influence of inappropriate media or videogames.

Play sessions: helping your child make friends

By age four, your child should have an active social life filled with friends, and they may even have a “best friend. ” Ideally, they’ll have neighborhood and preschool friends they see routinely. But what if your child is not enrolled in preschool and doesn’t live near other children the same age? In these cases, you might arrange play sessions with other preschoolers. Parks, playgrounds, and preschool activity programs all provide excellent opportunities to meet other children.

Once your preschooler has found playmates they seems to enjoy, you need to take initiative to help build their relationships. Encourage them to invite these friends to your home. It’s important for your child to “show off” their home, family, and possessions to other children. This will establish a sense of self-pride. Incidentally, to generate this pride, their home needn’t be luxurious or filled with expensive toys; it needs only be warm and welcoming.

It’s also important to recognize that at this age your child’s friends are not just playmates. They also actively influence their thinking and behavior. They’ll desperately want to be just like them, even when they break rules and standards you’ve taught them rrm birth. They now realize there are other values and opinions besides yours, and they may test this new discovery by demanding things you’ve never allowed him—certain toys, foods, clothing, or permission to watch certain TV programs.

Testing limits

Don’t despair if your child’s relationship with you changes dramatically in light of these new friendships. They may be rude to you for the first time in their life.Hard as it may be to accept, this sassiness actually is a positive sign that they’re learning to challenge authority and test their independence. Once again, deal with it by expressing disapproval, and possibly discussing with them what they really mean or feel. If you react emotionally, you’ll encourage continued bad behavior. If the subdued approach doesn’t work and they persist in talking back to you, a time-out (or time-in) is the most effective form of punishment.

Bear in mind that even though your child is exploring the concepts of good and bad, they still have an extremely simplified sense of morality. When they obey rules rigidly, it’s not necessarily because they understand them, but more likely because they wants to avoid punishment. In their mind, consequences count but not intentions. When theybreaks something of value, they’ll probably assume they are bad, even if they didn’t brea it on purpose. They need to be taught the difference between accidents and misbehaving.

Separate the child from their behavior

To help them learn this difference, you need to separate them from their behavior. When they do or say something that calls for punishment, make sure they understand they are being punished for the act not because they’re “bad.” Describe specifically what they did wrong, clearly separating person from behavior. If they are picking on a younger sibling, explain why it is wrong rather than saying “You’re bad.” When they do something wrong without meaning to, comfort them and say you understand it was unintentional. Try not to get upset, or they’ll think you’re angry at them rather than about what they did.

It’s also important to give your preschooler tasks that you know they can do and then praise them when they do them well. They are ready for simple responsibilities, such as setting the table or cleaning their room. On family outings, explain that you expect them to behave well, and congratulate them when they do. Along with responsibilities, give them ample opportunities to play with other children, and tell him how proud you are when they shares or is helpful to another child.

Sibling relationships

Finally, it’s important to recognize that the relationship with older siblings can be particularly challenging, especially if the sibling is three to four years older. Often your four-year-old is eager to do everything their older sibling is doing; just as often, your older child resents the intrusion. They may resent the intrusion on their space, their friends, their more daring and busy pace, and especially their room and things. You often become the mediator of these squabbles. It’s important to seek middle ground. Allow your older child their own time, independence, and private activities and space; but also foster cooperative play appropriate. Family vacations are great opportunities to enhance the positives of their relationship and at the same time give each their own activity and special time.

The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

6 Ways to Encourage Social Development in Children

Forming a line at a service counter. Giving a polite nod of acknowledgement to a passerby. Not abruptly walking away from someone who’s mid-sentence. You might assume these are just social habits that come naturally, but in reality, navigating social situations is a skill that needs to be developed from a young age.

While much of our ability to navigate social situations comes from learning via simple observation and experimentation, there are still more proactive approaches you can take. With the recent pandemic potentially limiting opportunities for children’s social interaction and development, it may be more important than ever to take an intentional approach toward building those skills.

So how can you make that happen? We asked early childhood education professionals to offer insight into some simple methods of getting preschool-age children to practice and develop their social interaction abilities. Read on for some excellent tips and ideas!

6 Ways you can help children develop their social skills

Getting kids acclimated to social situations doesn’t have to be a high-effort ordeal. Below are several approaches you can take to help give your little one’s social skill development a boost.

1. Provide plenty of time and guidance for imaginative play

When many of us hear the phrase “imaginative play,” we might think of costumes and props, perhaps remembering our own childhood experiences: “playing house” or pretending to run a restaurant, school or store. While these tried-and-true activities are still excellent ways for kids to have fun and learn to be together, they also require more than just fun outfits or a miniature kitchen set. Young children also need time and guidance, says Susan Bracken, an early childhood educator with 40 years in the field.

Bracken offers the example of “playing restaurant” and explains that the children will need ample time to set up their scene and assign roles: who is the cook, server, customer, etc.

“This negotiation time is valuable, and an observant teacher will allow children to work out conflicts, collaboratively problem solve and find necessary props while interacting as little as possible,” says Bracken.

The adult observing this imaginative play can watch for kids who are hanging back or being left out, gently helping them join the others, offering the child phrases they can use to ask to participate, or assigning them a task that needs doing.

“The key is plenty of time for children to negotiate and problem solve,” says Bracken.

2. Create space and opportunity for unstructured play

While imaginative play can be observed and supervised, there is also much a young child can learn from unstructured and uninterrupted play time.

“The human being is designed to learn through play and imitation in early childhood,” says Rebecah Freeling, a childhood behavior expert and parent coach at Wits’ End Parenting®. “If you’re lucky enough to live where other kids are, let your child go out and play.”

Freeling says parents and other caregivers can supervise “without hovering,” she adds.

“Giving kids lots of free play time really does help,” Freeling says. If things aren’t going well, or there’s too much conflict for the interaction to be helpful, Freeling recommends rethinking the actual situation.

“Some environments are too structured or adult driven,” Freeling continues. “Kids don’t get time to really get into a play scenario where the skills can naturally develop.”

It might feel a little counterintuitive to someone actively looking for ways to promote a child’s social development, but it’s okay to take a step back and let children naturally work through social situations. Learning sometimes takes the freedom to make a mistake and learn from it—so try to resist the urge to intervene if things aren’t going perfectly initially.

3. Identify real-time emotions and model positive communication

Children have a variety of abilities to recognize emotions or understand turn-taking. There are some kids who live in situations where they have limited experience in good problem-solving and other kids who struggle with speech and language.

This is where adults and parents can step in and model awareness, Bracken says. She gives a few examples:

“Look at Susie’s face! I see that she looks sad! I see tears. I see that she’s stopped smiling.”

Taking a moment to point out these specific reactions and behaviors helps kids know what to look for, regardless of their temperament or experience.

“There may be reasons that eye contact just isn’t possible for a child,” continues Bracken. “While it can be learned in some cases, it may be painful and uncomfortable for some children. In that case, just teaching a child to turn their body toward someone may be a good substitute.”

Bracken also advises adults to verbalize to children when they see behavior that is prosocial: “I see Bill and Mary sharing a ball!” or “Jimmy and Joanie are taking turns with the slide.”

This acknowledgement of what seems obvious is sort of like “showing your work” in a math class—by explaining what you’re observing and the connections you’re making to these observations, children can more easily pick up on why people do the things they do.

4. Honor differences in personality and temperament

Along with openly and clearly identifying good communication and real-time emotions, it’s also important to remember that every child is different and to honor their methods and preferences (as long as they are not hurting themselves or anyone else).

“A child who is slow to warm up may seem unfriendly compared to a more outgoing child,” says Bracken. “But their need to be included is just as important. ” Bracken believes that it’s important for caregivers and educators to get to know the children as well as their families.

“It’s really important for teachers to really understand each child’s strengths and challenges,” Bracken says.

Freeling emphasizes the importance of affirming children in how they are because kids on either end of the social spectrum—introverted or outgoing—are the ones parents and caregivers must look for.

“Both ends of that spectrum can cause issues because they can make other kids—and adults—uncomfortable,” Freeling says. “Those kids need extra attention to make their social experience pay off.”

Freeling advises parents and caregivers to accept each child just as they are.

“Don’t coax a slow to warm child; just accept them,” explains Freeling. “In fact, compliment them! Say, ‘You are so wise to stand back and watch before you join the group. That’s a really smart thing to do. Come whenever you’re ready.’”

5. Experience and discuss stories together

The simplest activities are sometimes the best ones for encouraging social development, and storytelling is another primal human activity. Reading together, watching movies or shows as a family, and then taking time to discuss what you’ve all seen is a great way to model turn-taking, listening and respectful communication. This can be done with a campfire story, picture book or movie night on the sofa with lots of popcorn.

Once you’ve had the shared experience of the story, whether in a book or television show or over s’mores, you can refer back to the events and the characters, looking at their choices, the funny things they said or did, and the ways they managed problems.

This can be as complicated or simple as you desire, but it’s a great way to safely practice social interaction.

“Tell stories, read books, discuss interactions you see on shows and movies,” Freeling suggests.

6. Seek insight from education professionals

There are many resources online that parents and caregivers can access for fun activity ideas. But Bracken suggests one source that is often forgotten: ECE professionals, childcare providers and other early childhood family education (ECFE) teachers. Some states require evaluations of young children on a variety of metrics for entrance into public schools; for example, the state of Minnesota requires screenings on a variety of metrics: cognitive, physical, language and speech, fine and gross motor skills, emotional development, and more.

“Most high-quality preschool programs will require teachers to assess children in all domains twice per year, and these assessments, which are research based, will guide teachers and parents to help children’s social development,” says Bracken.

Bracken also recommends ECFE classes as these offer parents and caregivers opportunities to observe professionals model play and social development strategies that they can use at home.

Freeling believes there is a wealth of resources that professionals can offer but cautions that the best methods and philosophies are those that fit the specific child.

“If you read something and it doesn’t fit your child, keep looking,” Freeling says.

Keeping up as they grow

Watching children learn and grow both physically and mentally is one of the biggest joys of working as an early childhood educator. But how do you know if the children under your watch are on track with their development? Our article “Early Childhood Development Milestones: What You Should Know” can provide some helpful guideposts and expert insight to keep in mind.

Wits’ End Parenting is a registered trademark of Wits’ End Parenting, Inc.

Developmental Stages of Social Emotional Development In Children – StatPearls

Continuing Education Activity

To apply knowledge regarding human growth and development, healthcare professionals need to be aware of 2 areas: (1) milestone competencies, for example, growth in the motor, cognitive, speech-language, and social-emotional domains, and (2) the eco-biological model of development, specifically, the interaction of environment and biology and their influence on development. This activity reviews the developmental stages of social-emotional development and discusses the role of the interprofessional team in educating parents on when they should expect children to achieve each milestone.

Objectives:

Describe milestone competencies in children.
Summarize the eco-biologic model of development in children.
Review social-emotional development in children.
Outline the developmental stages of social-emotional development and cover the role of the interprofessional team in educating parents on when they should expect children to achieve each milestone.

Access free multiple choice questions on this topic.

Introduction

To understand human growth and development, healthcare professionals need to understand and learn about 2 areas: (1) knowledge of milestone competencies, for example, growth in the motor, cognitive, speech-language, and social-emotional domains, and (2) the eco-biological model of development, specifically, the interaction of environment and biology and their influence on development.[1][2] This article reviews the developmental stages of social-emotional development and also discusses the role of the interprofessional team in identifying the cause of social-emotional problems and therefore, intervening effectively.

Social-emotional development covers 2 important concepts of development including the development of self or temperament and relationship to others or attachment. Clinicians will be able to identify and intervene to resolve social-emotional problems in early childhood if they have a better understanding of these concepts

Temperament

Temperament is an innate attribute that defines the child’s approach to the world and his interaction with the environment across 9 dimensions which are activity level, distractibility, the intensity of emotions, regularity, sensory threshold, and the tendency to approach versus withdrawing, adaptability, persistence, and mood quality. We can define temperament as the child’s “style” or “personality,” and it is intrinsic to a child. It influences child behavior and interaction with others. Based on the above attributes that define temperament, researchers have categorized young children’s temperament into 3 broad temperamental categories:

Easy or flexible: This category includes children who are friendly and easygoing, comply with routines such as sleep and mealtimes, adapt to changes, and have a calm disposition.
Active or feisty: Children who are fussy, do not follow routines and have irregular feeding and sleeping schedules, are apprehensive of a new environment and new people, have intense reactions, and get easily upset.
Slow to warm up or cautious: Children who may be less engaged or active, have a shy disposition to a new situation and new people, may withdraw or have a negative reaction. They become more comfortable and warm up with repeated exposure to a new environment or person.

This classification is for ease of discussion, and all temperaments will not fit into one or other categories exactly. Discussion about temperament with parents and caregivers can better identify the child’s strengths and needs. Based on this, caregivers can adapt their management and caregiving styles to match the child’s temperament. This can mold a child’s behavior and facilitate the child’s successful interaction with the environment, defined as “goodness of fit. ”[3]

Attachment

The social-emotional development begins with parental bonding with the child. This bonding allows the mother to respond to the child’s needs timely and soothe their newborn. The consistent availability of the caregiver results in the development of “basic trust” and confidence in the infant for the caregiver during the first year of life. Basic trust is the first psychosocial stage described by Erickson. This allows the infant to seek for parents or the caregiver during times of stress, known as attachment.[4]

Even before acquiring language, babies learn to communicate through emotions. One may argue that learning emotional regulation and impulse control may determine later success in life more than IQ. There is a rapid growth in social and emotional areas of the brain during the first 18 months of life. The nonverbal parts of the right brain, including the amygdala and the limbic system, receives, processes and interprets stimulus from the environment that produce an emotional response and build emotional and stress regulatory systems of the body. The lower limbic system, outside the cortex, dictates most of our spontaneous, instinctive emotional responses, like fear resulting in a racing heart or weak knees. The upper limbic system part of the cerebral cortex, known as the limbic cortex, controls conscious awareness of emotions and refines the responses according to the environmental culture of the individual. The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure that lies at the junction of the cortex and subcortical areas of the brain and plays a pivotal role in sensing emotions and connects them both to higher and lower limbic structures. During the second half of infancy, emotional information from the lower limbic system moves up and becomes part of the babies’ consciousness. Frontal lobe activity increases and myelination of the limbic pathways also begin during this time. With this gain in the limbic system, a caregiver’s soothing and consistent response to the child’s emotions develops into the child’s attachment to the caregiver, usually the mother. Attachment is regarded as a pivotal event in a person’s emotional development. It lays the foundation of a child’s security, harbors self-esteem, and builds emotional regulation and self-control skills.

Function

In healthy children, social-emotional stages develop on an expected trajectory, and monitoring these milestones is an imperative part of preventative health supervision visits. The caregiver’s sensitive and available supportive role is imperative to establish attachment and the skill set that follows.

Three distinct emotions are present from birth; anger, joy, and fear, revealed by universal facial expressions. Cognitive input is not required for emotional response at this stage. During the brief periods of alertness in the newborn period, the newborn may return a mother’s gaze. Soon the infant explores her face. The first measurable social milestone is around one to two months of age, and it is the infant’s social smile in response to parental high-pitched vocalizations or smiles. She recognizes the caregiver’s smell and voice and responds to gentle touch. Infants can use a distinct facial expression to express emotions in an appropriate context after 2 months of age. In the first 2 to 3 months infant learns to regulate physiologically and needs smooth routines. She progressively learns to calm herself, gives a responsive smile, and responds to gentle calming.

Sensitive cooperative interaction with the caregiver helps the infant to learn how to manage tension. Around 4 months of age turn-taking conversation (vocalizations) begin. The infant learns to manipulate his environment. They let their caregiver know whether taking away his toy upsets them or if they are happy when held. A sensitive but firm response from the caregiver helps infants manage emotional stress. She can recognize the primary caregiver by sight at around 5 months of age. In between 6 to 12 months effective attachment relationships establish with a responsive caregiver. Stranger anxiety emerges as an infant distinguishes between the familiar and unfamiliar. The infant becomes mutually engaged in her interactions with the caregiver. The infant seeks a caregiver for comfort, help, and play. He shows distress upon separation.

Around 8 months of age, joint attention skills develop. An infant will look in the same direction as the caregiver and follow his gaze. Eventually, they will look back at the caregiver to show that they share the experience.

Between 12 to 18 months, the infant learns to explore his environment with support from a caregiver. By 12 months of age, proto-imperative pointing emerges, in other words, the infant requests by pointing at the object of interest and integrates it with eye contact between the object and the caregiver. Proto-declarative pointing follows at 16 months of age when the child points with eye gaze coordination to show interest. Around 18 months of age, the child brings the object to show or give it to the caregiver.

Around 12 months of age, the child takes part in interactive play like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake. They use gestures to wave bye-bye and communicate his interests and needs. At around 15 months of age empathy and self-conscious emotions emerge. A child will react by looking upset when he sees someone cry or feel pride when applauded for doing a task. The child imitates his environment, helps with simple household tasks, and explores the environment more independently.

Between 18 and 30 months, individuation (autonomy) emerges. The confidence in the child-parent relationship and continued firm parenting helps the child face environmental challenges on his own more persistently and enthusiastically. The child’s temperament manifests itself more, and they are aggressive and reserved or friendly and cooperating. Around 18 to 24 months they learn to pretend-play such as talking on a toy phone or feeding a doll and playing next to or in parallel with another child. He may imitate other child’s play and look at him but he cannot play in a cooperative, imaginative way with another child yet. During preschool years he learns to manipulate his subjective emotions into a more socially accepted gesture. He uses a “poker face”, and exaggerates or minimizes emotions for social etiquette. For example, he will say thank you for a present he didn’t like. The child refers to himself as “I” or “me” and possessiveness “mine” and negativism “no” emerge.

Between 30 and 54 months, impulse control, gender roles, and peer relationship issues emerge. A caregiver plays a major role in helping preschoolers define values and learn flexible self-control. Testing limits on what behaviors are acceptable and how much autonomy they can exert is an expected phenomenon. Thoughtful parenting with a balance between setting limits and giving choices will successfully establish a child’s sense of initiative and decrease anxiety from guilt or loss of control. At 30 months pretend play skills emerge and the child shows evidence of symbolic play, using an object as something different like pretending a block to be a telephone or a bottle to feed a doll. The play scenarios become more complex with themes and storylines. By 3 years of age, the child engages more in interactive play, masters his aggression and learns cooperation and sharing skills. They can play with 1 or 2 peers, with turn-taking play and joint goals. Imaginative and fantasy play begin like pretending to be a cat and role-play skills develop. The child, however, cannot yet distinguish between reality and imagination and it is common to be afraid of imaginary things. They master this skill to differentiate between real and imaginary around 4 years of age. They enjoy playing tricks on others and are worried about being tricked themselves. Imaginary scenarios and play skills are developing and becoming more complex. They can play with 3 to 4 peers, with more complex themes and pretend skills.

At 5 and 6 years of age, the child can follow simple rules and directions. They learn adult social skills like giving praise and apologizing for unintentional mistakes. They like to spend more time in peer groups and relate to a group of friends. Imaginative play gets more complex, and he likes to play dress, and act out his fantasies.

At 7 and 8 years of age, the child fully understands rules and regulations. They show a deeper understanding of relationships and responsibilities and can take charge of simple chores. Moral development furthers, and he learns more complex coping skills. At this age, a child explores new ideas and activities and peers may test his beliefs. Children identify more with other children of similar gender and find a best friend in common.

At 9 and 10 years of age, peer and friend groups take precedence over family. Children at this age will show increasing independent decision-making and a growing need for independence from family. Parents can use responsibilities and chores to earn time with friends. A positive nurturing relationship with a caregiver with praise and affection and setting up a reasonable balance between independence and house rules builds self-confidence and self-assurance. Promoting supportive adult relationships and increasing opportunities to take part in positive community activities increases resilience.

Greater independence and commitment to peer groups drive the transition to adolescence. This will include indulging in risky behavior to explore uncertain emotions and impress peer groups. Social interactions include complex relationships, disagreements, breakups, new friendships, and long-lasting relations. Normally the adolescent will learn to cope with these stresses with healthy adult relationships and guidance to make independent decisions. As young adulthood approaches, school success and work-related activities become important. For a healthy transition to adulthood positive and supportive adult guidance and opportunities to take part constructively in the community play a pivotal role.

Issues of Concern

The inability to reach age-appropriate milestones can be a manifestation of psychosocial disturbance and needs further exploration. Examples of early childhood social-emotional disturbance include autism, reactive attachment disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, bullying, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.

Clinical Significance

A failure to follow the expected trajectory of social-emotional development can lead to undetected mental and emotional health problems. Adverse childhood experiences can alter development significantly. Thus, alongside screening for child development, actively screening for family dysfunction and supporting families in establishing a healthy nurturing environment is vital. By having a thorough knowledge of developmental pathways and adverse childhood experiences, and having a close follow-up established with families in the medical home, pediatricians and medical professionals are in a prime position to identify risk factors and developmental delays timely.

Medical professionals taking care of children should begin with identifying and addressing the family’s concerns, asking open-ended questions regarding social-emotional milestones, and intentionally observing parent-child interaction and child’s interaction with the environment including themselves. While examining the patient, they should observe age-appropriate developmental interaction. They should give teenagers the opportunity to engage in health visits in a private and safe environment without a caregiver. Also, should be able to address questions about parenting advice. These include advice on temper tantrums and defiant behaviors, child care and preschool guidance, referring to parent training management when appropriate, and counseling on temperament differences and “goodness of fit” models.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Bright Futures Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents emphasize active screening for developmental delays and environmental risk factors on top of clinical surveillance. This includes the use of standardized screening tools for social-emotional development and for environmental risks appropriate to the risk level of the population you serve. Environmental risk factors should include caregiver/family functioning, caregiver mental health, socio-economic stress, refugee/immigrant status, safety concerns, caregiver drug addiction, etc. AAP recommends screening for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at both the 18- and 24-month health supervision visits, and whenever concerns are raised. When using screening tests, one should be cognizant of some potential limitations including the inability to administer and score the screening tool correctly, using it as a diagnostic tool, failure to incorporate other available clinical data, and using a linguistic or culturally inappropriate tool.[5]

If screening identifies any risk factor or delays, it should always follow with further assessment and evidence-based interventions. Screening for maternal depression especially during the first year of childbirth is important. Identifying and intervening for maternal depression early on can avoid attachment and social-emotional problems in the child later. With clear delays in social and language development, it is important to initiate services even before a confirmed diagnosis as early intervention is the key. If the child is younger than 3 years should be referred to local Early Intervention EI services. A child 3 years of age or older should be referred to their school district. Anticipatory guidelines should include evidence-based strategies for age-appropriate behavioral interventions such as the management of temper tantrums for toddlers. Implementing the use of developmental screening tools in clinical practice has shown an encouraging trend though still, a wide gap in practice remains.[6] Practices that have successfully established screening are struggling with coordinating referrals and monitoring progress.[7] We need further research to identify barriers to the use of standardized tools and the coordination of services and interventions.

Standardized Screening Instruments

Caregiver Functioning

Adverse Childhood Experience Score
Parenting Stress Index-Short Form
Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale
Patient Health Questionnaire-2
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screening
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale

Temperament

Carey Temperament Scales

Infancy to Early Childhood

Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional
Survey of Well Being of Young Children
Communication and Symbolic-Behavior Scale
Developmental Profile, Infant Toddler Checklist
Brief Infant-Social Emotional Assessment

Early Childhood to Adolescence

Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory
Pediatric Symptom Checklist
Pictorial Pediatric Symptom Checklist

Multidimensional

Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment
NCAST Parent-Child Interaction Feeding and Teaching Scale
Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment
Behavior Assessment Scale for Children Second Edition
Connors Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales
Child Symptom Inventories-4
Vanderbilt Parent and Teacher Assessment Scales

Single Dimension Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Conners Third Edition
Attention Deficit Disorders Scale
Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scales

Single Dimension Anxiety/Depression

Beck Youth Inventories

(Adapted from Duby JC, Social and Emotional Development. In: Voigt RG, Macias MM, Myers SM, eds. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2011:241–248)

Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes

Optimal child growth and development need orchestrating enhanced communication between the pediatrician/primary care provider and various medical specialties including but not limited to the mother’s obstetrician, nursery/NICU teams, nursing staff, psychology, psychiatry, child life, and social work. Twenty percent to 25% of children seen in primary care clinics experience social-emotional problems that are clinically significant. Access to mental health services and parenting classes and education is limited due to stigmatization, cost, and availability. In 2004, the American Academy of Pediatrics organized a Task Force on Mental Health to enhance identification and intervention for social-emotional problems in primary care pediatric practice. One of the key findings in its report was having integrated models of care with collaboration with psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, and others in the community to formulate a comprehensive care plan. With help from other professionals, primary care practice should be able to put together a list of clinical and family concerns, coach the family on self-management techniques, and create a resource list including professionals involved in care, community partners available to the family and child, and treatment goals and strategies.[8] Building a comprehensive system of care with a focus on prevention and early intervention can address the unmet needs of social-emotional development and behavioral problems in children. To achieve such a system, it is imperative to establish training models with an integrated system of care. Such a model will encourage and train professionals to collaborate mutually to prevent, identify, consult, educate and plan treatment for patients.[9]

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References

1.: Shonkoff JP. Capitalizing on Advances in Science to Reduce the Health Consequences of Early Childhood Adversity. JAMA Pediatr. 2016 Oct 01;170(10):1003-1007. [PubMed: 27548291]
2.: Boyce WT. The lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Pediatr Dent. 2014 Mar-Apr;36(2):102-8. [PubMed: 24717746]
3.: Chess S, Thomas A. Temperament and the parent-child interaction. Pediatr Ann. 1977 Sep;6(9):574-82. [PubMed: 896313]
4.: Duschinsky R. DISORGANIZATION, FEAR AND ATTACHMENT: WORKING TOWARDS CLARIFICATION. Infant Ment Health J. 2018 Jan;39(1):17-29. [PMC free article: PMC5817243] [PubMed: 29314076]
5.: King TM, Glascoe FP. Developmental surveillance of infants and young children in pediatric primary care. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2003 Dec;15(6):624-9. [PubMed: 14631210]
6.: Radecki L, Sand-Loud N, O’Connor KG, Sharp S, Olson LM. Trends in the use of standardized tools for developmental screening in early childhood: 2002-2009. Pediatrics. 2011 Jul;128(1):14-9. [PubMed: 21708798]
7.: King TM, Tandon SD, Macias MM, Healy JA, Duncan PM, Swigonski NL, Skipper SM, Lipkin PH. Implementing developmental screening and referrals: lessons learned from a national project. Pediatrics. 2010 Feb;125(2):350-60. [PubMed: 20100754]
8.: Foy JM, Kelleher KJ, Laraque D., American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Mental Health. Enhancing pediatric mental health care: strategies for preparing a primary care practice. Pediatrics. 2010 Jun;125 Suppl 3:S87-108. [PubMed: 20519566]
9.: Stancin T, Perrin EC. Psychologists and pediatricians: Opportunities for collaboration in primary care. Am Psychol. 2014 May-Jun;69(4):332-43. [PubMed: 24820683]

Social-Emotional Development Domain – Child Development (CA Dept of Education)

Foundations

Interactions with Adults

Relationships with Adults

Interactions with Peers

Relationships with Peers

Identity of Self in Relation to Others

Recognition of Ability

Expression of Emotion

Empathy

Emotion Regulation

Impulse Control

Social Understanding

References

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Social-emotional development includes the child’s experience, expression, and management of emotions and the ability to establish positive and rewarding relationships with others (Cohen and others 2005). It encompasses both intra- and interpersonal processes.

The core features of emotional development include the ability to identify and understand one’s own feelings, to accurately read and comprehend emotional states in others, to manage strong emotions and their expression in a constructive manner, to regulate one’s own behavior, to develop empathy for others, and to establish and maintain relationships. (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child 2004, 2)

Infants experience, express, and perceive emotions before they fully understand them. In learning to recognize, label, manage, and communicate their emotions and to perceive and attempt to understand the emotions of others, children build skills that connect them with family, peers, teachers, and the community. These growing capacities help young children to become competent in negotiating increasingly complex social interactions, to participate effectively in relationships and group activities, and to reap the benefits of social support crucial to healthy human development and functioning.

Healthy social-emotional development for infants and toddlers unfolds in an interpersonal context, namely that of positive ongoing relationships with familiar, nurturing adults. Young children are particularly attuned to social and emotional stimulation. Even newborns appear to attend more to stimuli that resemble faces (Johnson and others 1991). They also prefer their mothers’ voices to the voices of other women (DeCasper and Fifer 1980). Through nurturance, adults support the infants’ earliest experiences of emotion regulation (Bronson 2000a; Thompson and Goodvin 2005).

Responsive caregiving supports infants in beginning to regulate their emotions and to develop a sense of predictability, safety, and responsiveness in their social environments. Early relationships are so important to developing infants that research experts have broadly concluded that, in the early years, “nurturing, stable and consistent relationships are the key to healthy growth, development and learning” (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine 2000, 412). In other words, high-quality relationships increase the likelihood of positive outcomes for young children (Shonkoff 2004). Experiences with family members and teachers provide an opportunity for young children to learn about social relationships and emotions through exploration and predictable interactions. Professionals working in child care settings can support the social-emotional development of infants and toddlers in various ways, including interacting directly with young children, communicating with families, arranging the physical space in the care environment, and planning and implementing curriculum.

Brain research indicates that emotion and cognition are profoundly interrelated processes. Specifically, “recent cognitive neuroscience findings suggest that the neural mechanisms underlying emotion regulation may be the same as those underlying cognitive processes” (Bell and Wolfe 2004, 366). Emotion and cognition work together, jointly informing the child’s impressions of situations and influencing behavior. Most learning in the early years occurs in the context of emotional supports (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine 2000). “The rich interpenetrations of emotions and cognitions establish the major psychic scripts for each child’s life” (Panksepp 2001). Together, emotion and cognition contribute to attentional processes, decision making, and learning (Cacioppo and Berntson 1999). Furthermore, cognitive processes, such as decision making, are affected by emotion (Barrett and others 2007). Brain structures involved in the neural circuitry of cognition influence emotion and vice versa (Barrett and others 2007). Emotions and social behaviors affect the young child’s ability to persist in goal-oriented activity, to seek help when it is needed, and to participate in and benefit from relationships.

Young children who exhibit healthy social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment are more likely to have good academic performance in elementary school (Cohen and others 2005; Zero to Three 2004). The sharp distinction between cognition and emotion that has historically been made may be more of an artifact of scholarship than it is representative of the way these processes occur in the brain (Barrett and others 2007). This recent research strengthens the view that early childhood programs support later positive learning outcomes in all domains by maintaining a focus on the promotion of healthy social emotional development (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child 2004; Raver 2002; Shonkoff 2004).

Interactions with Adults

Interactions with adults are a frequent and regular part of infants’ daily lives. Infants as young as three months of age have been shown to be able to discriminate between the faces of unfamiliar adults (Barrera and Maurer 1981). The foundations that describe Interactions with Adults and Relationships with Adults are interrelated. They jointly give a picture of healthy social-emotional development that is based in a supportive social environment established by adults. Children develop the ability to both respond to adults and engage with them first through predictable interactions in close relationships with parents or other caring adults at home and outside the home. Children use and build upon the skills learned through close relationships to interact with less familiar adults in their lives. In interacting with adults, children engage in a wide variety of social exchanges such as establishing contact with a relative or engaging in storytelling with an infant care teacher.

Quality in early childhood programs is, in large part, a function of the interactions that take place between the adults and children in those programs. These interactions form the basis for the relationships that are established between teachers and children in the classroom or home and are related to children’s developmental status. How teachers interact with children is at the very heart of early childhood education (Kontos and Wilcox-Herzog 1997, 11).

Foundation: Interactions with Adults

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Relationships with Adults

Close relationships with adults who provide consistent nurturance strengthen children’s capacity to learn and develop. Moreover, relationships with parents, other family members, caregivers, and teachers provide the key context for infants’ social-emotional development. These special relationships influence the infant’s emerging sense of self and understanding of others. Infants use relationships with adults in many ways: for reassurance that they are safe, for assistance in alleviating distress, for help with emotion regulation, and for social approval or encouragement. Establishing close relationships with adults is related to children’s emotional security, sense of self, and evolving understanding of the world around them. Concepts from the literature on attachment may be applied to early childhood settings, in considering the infant care teacher’s role in separations and reunions during the day in care, facilitating the child’s exploration, providing comfort, meeting physical needs, modeling positive relationships, and providing support during stressful times (Raikes 1996).

Foundation: Relationships with Adults

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Interactions with Peers

In early infancy children interact with each other using simple behaviors such as looking at or touching another child. Infants’ social interactions with peers increase in complexity from engaging in repetitive or routine back-and-forth interactions with peers (for example, rolling a ball back and forth) to engaging in cooperative activities such as building a tower of blocks together or acting out different roles during pretend play. Through interactions with peers, infants explore their interest in others and learn about social behavior/social interaction. Interactions with peers provide the context for social learning and problem solving, including the experience of social exchanges, cooperation, turn-taking, and the demonstration of the beginning of empathy. Social interactions with peers also allow older infants to experiment with different roles in small groups and in different situations such as relating to familiar versus unfamiliar children. As noted, the foundations called Interactions with Adults, Relationships with Adults, Interactions with Peers, and Relationships with Peers are interrelated. Interactions are stepping-stones to relationships. Burk (1996, 285) writes:

We, as teachers, need to facilitate the development of a psychologically safe environment that promotes positive social interaction. As children interact openly with their peers, they learn more about each other as individuals, and they begin building a history of interactions.

Foundation: Interaction with Peers

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Relationships with Peers

Infants develop close relationships with children they know over a period of time, such as other children in the family child care setting or neighborhood. Relationships with peers provide young children with the opportunity to develop strong social connections. Infants often show a preference for playing and being with friends, as compared with peers with whom they do not have a relationship. Howes’ (1983) research suggests that there are distinctive patterns of friendship for the infant, toddler, and preschooler age groups. The three groups vary in the number of friendships, the stability of friendships, and the nature of interaction between friends (for example, the extent to which they involve object exchange or verbal communication).

Foundation: Relationships with Peers

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Identity of Self in Relation to Others

Infants’ social-emotional development includes an emerging awareness of self and others. Infants demonstrate this foundation in a number of ways. For example, they can respond to their names, point to their body parts when asked, or name members of their families. Through an emerging understanding of other people in their social environment, children gain an understanding of their roles within their families and communities. They also become aware of their own preferences and characteristics and those of others.

Foundation: Identity of Self in Relation to Others

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Recognition of Ability

Infants’ developing sense of self-efficacy includes an emerging understanding that they can make things happen and that they have particular abilities. Self-efficacy is related to a sense of competency, which has been identified as a basic human need (Connell 1990). The development of children’s sense of self-efficacy may be seen in play or exploratory behaviors when they act on an object to produce a result. For example, they pat a musical toy to make sounds come out. Older infants may demonstrate recognition of ability through “I” statements, such as “I did it” or “I’m good at drawing.”

Foundation: Recognition of Ability

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Expression of Emotion

Even early in infancy, children express their emotions through facial expressions, vocalizations, and body language. The later ability to use words to express emotions gives young children a valuable tool in gaining the assistance or social support of others (Saarni and others 2006). Temperament may play a role in children’s expression of emotion. Tronick (1989, 112) described how expression of emotion is related to emotion regulation and communication between the mother and infant: “the emotional expressions of the infant and the caretaker function to allow them to mutually regulate their interactions . . . the infant and the adult are participants in an affective communication system.”

Both the understanding and expression of emotion are influenced by culture. Cultural factors affect children’s growing understanding of the meaning of emotions, the developing knowledge of which situations lead to which emotional outcomes, and their learning about which emotions are appropriate to display in which situations (Thompson and Goodvin 2005). Some cultural groups appear to express certain emotions more often than other cultural groups (Tsai, Levenson, and McCoy 2006). In addition, cultural groups vary by which particular emotions or emotional states they value (Tsai, Knutson, and Fung 2006). One study suggests that cultural differences in exposure to particular emotions through storybooks may contribute to young children’s preferences for particular emotional states (for example, excited or calm) (Tsai and others 2007).

Young children’s expression of positive and negative emotions may play a significant role in their development of social relationships. Positive emotions appeal to social partners and seem to enable relationships to form, while problematic management or expression of negative emotions leads to difficulty in social relationships (Denham and Weissberg 2004). The use of emotion-related words appears to be associated with how likable preschoolers are considered by their peers. Children who use emotion-related words were found to be better-liked by their classmates (Fabes and others 2001). Infants respond more positively to adult vocalizations that have a positive affective tone (Fernald 1993). Social smiling is a developmental process in which neurophysiology and cognitive, social, and emotional factors play a part, seen as a “reflection and constituent of an interactive relationship” (Messinger and Fogel 2007, 329). It appears likely that the experience of positive emotions is a particularly important contributor to emotional well-being and psychological health (Fredrickson 2000, 2003; Panksepp 2001).

Foundation: Expression of Emotion

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Empathy

During the first three years of life, children begin to develop the capacity to experience the emotional or psychological state of another person (Zahn-Waxler and Radke-Yarrow 1990). The following definitions of empathy are found in the research literature: “knowing what another person is feeling,” “feeling what another person is feeling,” and “responding compassionately to another’s distress” (Levenson and Ruef 1992, 234). The concept of empathy reflects the social nature of emotion, as it links the feelings of two or more people (Levenson and Ruef 1992). Since human life is relationship-based, one vitally important function of empathy over the life span is to strengthen social bonds (Anderson and Keltner 2002). Research has shown a correlation between empathy and prosocial behavior (Eisenberg 2000). In particular, prosocial behaviors, such as helping, sharing, and comforting or showing concern for others, illustrate the development of empathy (Zahn-Waxler and others 1992) and how the experience of empathy is thought to be related to the development of moral behavior (Eisenberg 2000). Adults model prosocial/empathic behaviors for infants in various ways. For example, those behaviors are modeled through caring interactions with others or through providing nurturance to the infant. Quann and Wien (2006, 28) suggest that one way to support the development of empathy in young children is to create a culture of caring in the early childhood environment: “Helping children understand the feelings of others is an integral aspect of the curriculum of living together. The relationships among teachers, between children and teachers, and among children are fostered with warm and caring interactions.”

Foundation: Empathy

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Emotion Regulation

The developing ability to regulate emotions has received increasing attention in the research literature (Eisenberg, Champion, and Ma 2004). Researchers have generated various definitions of emotion regulation, and debate continues as to the most useful and appropriate way to define this concept (Eisenberg and Spinrad 2004). As a construct, emotion regulation reflects the interrelationship of emotions, cognitions, and behaviors (Bell and Wolfe 2004). Young children’s increasing understanding and skill in the use of language is of vital importance in their emotional development, opening new avenues for communicating about and regulating emotions (Campos, Frankel, and Camras 2004) and helping children to negotiate acceptable outcomes to emotionally charged situations in more effective ways. Emotion regulation is influenced by culture and the historical era in which a person lives: cultural variability in regulation processes is significant (Mesquita and Frijda 1992). “Cultures vary in terms of what one is expected to feel, and when, where, and with whom one may express different feelings” (Cheah and Rubin 2003, 3). Adults can provide positive role models of emotion regulation through their behavior and through the verbal and emotional support they offer children in managing their emotions. Responsiveness to infants’ signals contributes to the development of emotion regulation. Adults support infants’ development of emotion regulation by minimizing exposure to excessive stress, chaotic environments, or over- or understimulation.

Emotion regulation skills are important in part because they play a role in how well children are liked by peers and teachers and how socially competent they are perceived to be (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child 2004). Children’s ability to regulate their emotions appropriately can contribute to perceptions of their overall social skills as well as to the extent to which they are liked by peers (Eisenberg and others 1993). Poor emotion regulation can impair children’s thinking, thereby compromising their judgment and decision making (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child 2004). At kindergarten entry, children demonstrate broad variability in their ability to self-regulate (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine 2000).

Foundation: Emotion Regulation

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Impulse Control

Children’s developing capacity to control impulses helps them adapt to social situations and follow rules. As infants grow, they become increasingly able to exercise voluntary control over behavior such as waiting for needs to be met, inhibiting potentially hurtful behavior, and acting according to social expectations, including safety rules. Group care settings provide many opportunities for children to practice their impulse-control skills. Peer interactions often offer natural opportunities for young children to practice impulse control, as they make progress in learning about cooperative play and sharing. Young children’s understanding or lack of understanding of requests made of them may be one factor contributing to their responses (Kaler and Kopp 1990).

Foundation: Impulse Control

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Social Understanding

During the infant/toddler years, children begin to develop an understanding of the responses, communication, emotional expression, and actions of other people. This development includes infants’ understanding of what to expect from others, how to engage in back-and-forth social interactions, and which social scripts are to be used for which social situations. “At each age, social cognitive understanding contributes to social competence, interpersonal sensitivity, and an awareness of how the self relates to other individuals and groups in a complex social world” (Thompson 2006, 26). Social understanding is particularly important because of the social nature of humans and human life, even in early infancy (Wellman and Lagattuta 2000). Recent research suggests that infants’ and toddlers’ social understanding is related to how often they experience adult communication about the thoughts and emotions of others (Taumoepeau and Ruffman 2008).

Foundation: Social Understanding

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References

Ainsworth, M. D. 1967. Infancy in Uganda: Infant Care and the Growth of Love. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

American Academy of Pediatrics. 2004. Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 (Fourth edition). Edited by S. P. Shelov and R. E. Hannemann. New York: Bantam Books.

Anderson, C., and D. Keltner. 2002. “The Role of Empathy in the Formation and Maintenance of Social Bonds,” Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 25, No. 1, 21–22.

Barrera, M. E., and D. Maurer. 1981. “Discrimination of Strangers by the Three-Month-Old,” Child Development, Vol. 52, No. 2, 558–63.

Barrett, L., and others. 2007. “The Experience of Emotion,” Annual Review of Psychology, Vol.58, 373–403.

Bates, E. 1990. “Language About Me and You: Pronomial Reference and the Emerging Concept of Self,” in The Self in Transition: Infancy to Childhood. Edited by D. Cicchetti and M. Beeghly. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

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Social development of preschoolers: stages, factors, means

Everyone knows that childhood is a special and unique period in everyone’s life. In childhood, not only the foundations of health are laid, but also a personality is formed: its values, preferences, guidelines. The way a child’s childhood passes directly affects the success of his future life. A valuable experience of this period is social development. The psychological readiness of a child for school largely depends on whether he knows how to build communication with other children and adults, and how to cooperate with them correctly. It is also important for a preschooler how quickly he acquires knowledge appropriate to his age. All these factors are the key to successful study in the future. Next, about what you need to pay attention to in the social development of a preschooler.

1 What is social development
- 1.1 In the video, the teacher shares the experience of socialization of preschoolers
2 Stages of social development of a child
3 Social factors
4 Social education and its means
5 Social development in kindergarten
6 Development of social skills
7 Social adaptation of children
8 Social exclusion
9 Terminals

What is social development

What does the term “social development” (or “socialization”) mean? This is a process in which the child adopts the traditions, values, culture of the society in which he will live and develop. That is, the baby is the basic formation of the original culture. Social development is carried out through communication with peers and adults. When communicating, the child begins to live by the rules, trying to take into account his interests and interlocutors, adopts specific behavioral norms. The environment surrounding the baby, which also directly affects its development, is not just the outside world with streets, houses, roads, objects. Environment – first of all, these are people who interact with each other according to certain rules that prevail in society. Any person who meets on the way of a child brings something new into his life, thus directly or indirectly shaping him. The adult demonstrates knowledge, skills and abilities regarding how to make contact with people and objects. The child, in turn, inherits what he sees, copies it. Using this experience, children learn to communicate in their own little world with each other.

It is known that individuals are not born, but become. And the formation of a fully developed personality is greatly influenced by communication with people. That is why parents should pay enough attention to the formation of the child’s ability to find contact with other people.

In the video, the teacher shares his experience of socialization of preschoolers

“Do you know that the main (and first) source of a child’s communicative experience is his family, which is a “guide” to the world of knowledge, values, traditions and experience of modern society. It is from parents that you can learn the rules of communication with peers, learn to communicate freely. A positive socio-psychological climate in the family, a warm homely atmosphere of love, trust and mutual understanding will help the baby adapt to life and feel confident.”

Stages of social development of a child

Infancy. Social development begins in a preschooler as early as infancy. With the help of a mother or another person who often spends time with a newborn, the baby learns the basics of communication, using communication tools such as facial expressions and movements, as well as sounds.
Six months to two years. The baby’s communication with adults becomes situational, which manifests itself in the form of practical interaction. A child often needs the help of parents, some joint actions for which he applies.
Three years. In this age period, the baby already requires society: he wants to communicate in a team of peers. The child enters the children’s environment, adapts to it, accepts its norms and rules, and parents actively help in this. They tell the preschooler what to do and what not to do: is it worth taking other people’s toys, is it good to be greedy, is it necessary to share, is it possible to offend children, how to be patient and polite, and so on.
Four to five years. This age segment is characterized by the fact that babies begin to ask an infinite number of questions about everything in the world (which are not always answered even by adults!). Communication of a preschooler becomes brightly emotionally colored, aimed at cognition. The speech of the baby becomes the main way of his communication: using it, he exchanges information and discusses with adults the phenomena of the world around him.
Six to seven years. The child’s communication takes on a personal form. At this age, children are already interested in questions about the essence of man. This period is considered the most important in the formation of the personality and citizenship of the child. A preschooler needs an explanation of many life moments, advice, support and understanding from adults, because they are a role model. Looking at adults, six-year-olds copy their style of communication, relationships with other people, and the peculiarities of their behavior. This is the beginning of the formation of your personality.

Social factors

What influences the baby’s socialization?

family
kindergarten
child’s environment
children’s institutions (kindergarten, development center, circles, sections, studios)
child activities
television, children’s press
literature, music
nature

All this makes up the child’s social environment.

Raising a child, do not forget about the harmonious combination of various ways, means and methods.

Social education and its means

Social education of preschoolers is the most important aspect of a child’s development, because preschool age is the best period for a child’s development, development of his communicative and moral qualities. At this age, there is an increase in the volume of communication with peers and adults, the complication of activities, the organization of joint activities with peers. Social education is interpreted as the creation of pedagogical conditions for the purpose of positive development of a person’s personality, his spiritual and value orientation.

Let’s list the main means of social education of preschoolers :

Game.
Communication with children.
Conversation.
Discussing the actions of the child.
Exercises for the development of horizons.
Reading.

The main activity of preschool children and an effective means of social education is role-playing game . By teaching the kid such games, we offer him certain patterns of behavior, actions and interactions that he can play. The child begins to think about how relations between people take place, realize the meaning of their work. In their games, the baby most often imitates the behavior of adults. Together with his peers, he creates game-situations where he “tryes on” the roles of fathers and mothers, doctors, waiters, hairdressers, builders, drivers, businessmen, etc.

“It is interesting that by imitating different roles, the child learns to perform actions, coordinating them with the moral norms prevailing in society. So the baby unconsciously prepares himself for life in the world of adults.

Such games are useful in that while playing, a preschooler learns to find solutions to various life situations, including conflict resolution.

“Council. Conduct exercises and activities for the child more often that develop the horizons of the baby. Introduce him to the masterpieces of children’s literature and classical music. Study colorful encyclopedias and children’s reference books. Do not forget to talk with the child: kids also need an explanation of their actions and advice from parents and teachers.

Social development in kindergarten

How does kindergarten influence successful socialization of a child?

In the kindergarten:

a special social-forming environment was created
organized communication with children and adults
organized gaming, labor and educational activities
civil-patriotic orientation is being implemented
organized interaction with the family
introduced the principles of social partnership.

The presence of these aspects determines the positive impact on the child’s socialization.

There is an opinion that going to kindergarten is not necessary at all. However, in addition to general developmental activities and preparation for school, a child who goes to kindergarten also develops socially. All conditions for this have been created in the kindergarten:

zoning
play and educational equipment
games
didactic and teaching aids
the presence of a children’s team
communication with adults.

All these conditions simultaneously include preschoolers in intensive cognitive and creative activities that ensure their social development, form communication skills and the formation of their socially significant personal characteristics.

It will not be easy for a child who does not attend kindergarten to organize a combination of all the above developmental factors.

Development of social skills

The development of social skills in preschool children has a positive effect on their activities in life. General upbringing, manifested in graceful manners, easy communication with people, the ability to be attentive to people, try to understand them, sympathize, and help are the most important indicators of the development of social skills. Also important is the ability to talk about your own needs, set goals correctly and achieve them. In order to direct the upbringing of a preschooler in the right direction of successful socialization, we suggest following the aspects of developing social skills:

Show your child social skills. In the case of babies: smile at the baby – he will answer you the same. This will be the first social interaction.
Talk to the baby. Answer the sounds made by the baby with words, phrases. This way you will establish contact with the baby and soon teach him to speak.
Teach your child to be attentive. It is not necessary to bring up an egoist: more often let the child understand that other people also have their own needs, desires, concerns.
When educating, be kind. In upbringing, stand on your own, but without shouting, but with love.
Teach your child respect. Explain that objects have value and should be treated with care. Especially if it’s someone else’s stuff.
Learn to share toys. This will help him make friends faster.
Create a social circle for your baby. Strive to organize the communication of the baby with peers in the yard, at home, in a children’s institution.
Praise good behavior. The child is smiling, obedient, kind, gentle, not greedy: why not praise him? He will consolidate the understanding of how to behave better, and acquired the necessary social skills.
Talk to your child. Teach preschoolers to communicate, share experiences, analyze actions.
Encourage mutual assistance, attention to children. Discuss situations from the child’s life more often: in this way he will learn the basics of morality.

Social adaptation of children

Social adaptation is a prerequisite and the result of successful socialization of a preschooler.

It occurs in three areas:

activity
consciousness
communication.

Field of activity implies a variety and complexity of activities, a good command of each of its types, its understanding and possession of it, the ability to carry out activities in various forms.

Indicators of a developed sphere of communication are characterized by the expansion of the child’s circle of communication, the deepening of the quality of its content, the possession of generally accepted norms and rules of behavior, the ability to use its various forms and types suitable for the child’s social environment and society.

The developed sphere of consciousness is characterized by work on the formation of the image of one’s own “I” as a subject of activity, understanding one’s social role, and the formation of self-esteem.

During the socialization of a child, along with the desire to do everything as everyone else does (mastering the generally accepted rules and norms of behavior), a desire is manifested to stand out, to show individuality (development of independence, one’s own opinion). Thus, the social development of a preschooler occurs in harmoniously existing directions:

socialization
individualization.

In the case when a balance is established between socialization and individualization during socialization, an integrated process takes place aimed at the successful entry of the child into society. This is social adaptation.

Social maladaptation

If, when a child enters a certain group of peers, there is no conflict between generally accepted standards and individual qualities of the child, then it is considered that he has adapted to the environment. If such harmony is violated, then the child may show self-doubt, isolation, depressed mood, unwillingness to communicate, and even autism. Children rejected by a certain social group are aggressive, non-contact, inadequately evaluating themselves.

It happens that the socialization of a child is complicated or slowed down due to physical or mental reasons, as well as as a result of the negative influence of the environment in which he grows up. The result of such cases is the appearance of asocial children, when the child does not fit into social relations. Such children need psychological help or social rehabilitation (depending on the degree of complexity) for the proper organization of the process of their adaptation to society.

Conclusions

If you try to take into account all aspects of the harmonious upbringing of the child, create favorable conditions for all-round development, maintain friendly relations and promote the disclosure of his creative potential, then the process of social development of the preschooler will be successful. Such a child will feel confident, which means he will be successful.

How to make a child’s social development harmonious and comprehensive?

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Knowledge base

Social development of a preschooler: stages and tips

What is social development?
Stages of social development of a preschooler
Socialization up to three years
Socialization of children from 3 to 7 years old

The social development of a preschool child is an important task for parents, because socialization is one of the main skills for a harmonious existence in society. A socialized person feels more confident, he is more successful in any situation, he develops a basic trust in the world.

What is social development?

Social development is part of the overall development of the child. It includes not only the ability of the baby to communicate, but also acquaintance with the culture and traditions of society, the development of emotional intelligence, the ability to resolve conflict situations in a peaceful way. This is a multifaceted skill that begins to form in children from birth.

Stages of social development of a preschooler

The first natural environment for social development is the family. Here, even in infancy, the baby receives the first lessons of communication, learns to recognize emotions by facial expressions, intonations, gestures.

Until the age of two, children are completely dependent on their parents. And although at this age they can already communicate with their peers, purposeful play does not work. Children often play side by side, but not together.

From the age of three, a child begins to consciously communicate with other children, learns to play. During this period, it is important to pay more attention to the development of emotional intelligence and learn to build relationships with others. To do this, it is useful to send the child to a developmental center for children.

From 5 to 7 years old, a preschooler begins to be interested in the essence of a person, a breakthrough occurs in the mental development of the child. At this age, it is especially important to set a positive example of family relationships. Now, behavioral patterns are being laid that will guide the child in the future.

Socialization up to three years

From an early age, it is worth explaining to the baby the rules of safe functioning in the outside world. It is useful to play situations at home, for example, with the help of toys. A role-playing game is one of the best ways to introduce a child to the laws of the world and the spectrum of emotions experienced by a person.

Socialization of children from 3 to 7 years old

Teach your child to talk calmly about his desires. Learn to negotiate in controversial situations without conflicts. To do this, speak calmly and confidently yourself, do not raise your tone.
It is important to establish social boundaries by explaining what is allowed and what is not. The concept of “impossible” needs to be deciphered and an answer to the question “why not?” This will save the baby to check the ban on himself.
Teach your child to be attentive to others – create situations in which he can take care of his neighbor.
Respect the interests, hobbies and desires of children.
It is useful to talk with an older preschooler and analyze his actions and the actions of those around him. Ask his opinion about why the person did this? What feelings moved them? This teaches children to better understand others.
Give the preschooler more independence.
Encourage contact with other children and do not criticize friends. You can express disapproval of the actions of another child, but at the same time you need to give an objective explanation.
For the socialization of the child, harmonious conditions for the development of the child in the family are necessary, but communication with peers is also necessary. Therefore, choose a good kindergarten and preschool center.

The children’s center “Imena Production” invites your children to classes for preschoolers. With us, children not only master intellectual and creative disciplines, but also learn to communicate, make new friends. For the little ones, we have an early development course, an important task of which is the adaptation and socialization of children. We invite older children to the discipline of integrated development. Here the child reveals his talent in choreography, acting, vocals, and also develops morally and spiritually in Sunday school.

Social development of the child

Comprehensive child development
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Social development of preschool children in the process of interaction between the preschool educational organization and the family

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Social development of preschool children in the process of interaction between a preschool educational organization and a family

Pavlova Ya. Yu.1.52017-12-15T12:57:56+05:002017-12-15T12:57:56+05:00

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Social development of preschool children in kindergarten

Content

The role of kindergarten in the social development of preschool children
The main directions and types of work on social development in a preschool institution
Interaction of a preschool institution and parents in the implementation of the social development of a child 9001 9002 Each person is a separate person with his own beliefs, interests, values. But he does not live in isolation, but in society – in direct relationships with other people, determined, in turn, by uniform living conditions, moral norms and cultural traditions.

The socialization of a child begins from the first days of his life and is realized through communication with parents. Mom’s touch, word, her smile teach the baby to trust the world around him, to learn the elementary rules of behavior. In the future, other family members, outside adults and peers are involved in this process. By the age of one, a child has mastered such necessary social skills as: making eye contact, openly expressing emotions, asking for someone else’s toy, sharing one’s own, saying hello, saying goodbye, and more.

Children receive the basics of communication in kindergarten

The role of kindergarten in the social development of a preschooler

By the age of two, a new stage begins in a child’s life, due to an important event – he begins to go to kindergarten.

Preschool educational institution (DOE) is one of the most important institutions of socialization. If before this the process of the child’s social development took place to a greater extent situationally and spontaneously, then within the walls of the preschool educational institution it becomes purposeful and systematic.

The goal of a child’s social development in a preschool institution is to form a full-fledged personality with experience in interacting with other members of society within acceptable norms and rules of conduct.

Social development – definition

Implemented through tasks:
1. To give the child the necessary knowledge: to introduce the acceptable rules of behavior in a preschool institution and a group;
2. To teach the child to behave in accordance with generally accepted norms;
3. To help the child to self-determine within the given society;
4. Help the child to have a positive experience in the garden with children and adults
The tasks set are carried out as follows:
1. Favorable conditions are created for involving a preschooler in social interaction;
2. Special methods and techniques are used:
- observation;
- questioning;
- conversation, explanation;
- training, training;
- individual correctional work;
- creation of educational situations;
- emotional impact, encouragement.
Joint activities of parents and children help socialization

Main directions and types of work on social development in a preschool institution specific methods, forms and types of work:
- Involvement in socially useful activities (occupational therapy).
- Listening to music (music therapy).
- Drawing, viewing illustrations and reproductions of paintings (art therapy).
- Reading pedagogical literature (fairy tales, children’s poems, stories).
- Role-playing games.
Matinee in the garden – one of the types of art therapy

Art therapy – an effective method of forming a preschooler’s worldview, social self-determination, adequate self-esteem. It is used, first of all, at the diagnostic stage: according to a child’s drawing, one can determine the psychological climate in the family, asocial and antisocial tendencies. For example, the image of a criminal or a policeman is a sign of a deviation in the social development of the child.

At the next stage, through visual activity, the preschooler gets rid of hidden negative factors, increases self-esteem, and resolves intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts.

The work of a teacher is as follows:
- Creation of a trusting and psychologically comfortable environment for the lesson.
- Analysis of children’s work (all corrections are made only in words and in the correct form).
- Setting before the child feasible tasks to perform, providing the necessary assistance.
- Organization of exhibitions of children’s work in the garden.
Parents can be involved in these activities to make them more effective.

Basic concepts of social development

Joint art therapy will help to establish interpersonal relationships and solve existing or emerging problems in the family.

Fairy tale therapy in social development is a method of psychological influence on a child through reading and analyzing fairy tales. The uniqueness and effectiveness of this method are due to vivid memorable characters, illustrative examples of behavior patterns of heroes.

In the fairy tale there is a close connection between the social and the moral: a clear distinction between good and evil, what is good and what is bad, how one can and cannot act.

Fairy tale therapy is a favorite pastime for children

Sample list of fairy tales for preschool reading: “Gingerbread man”, “Turnip”, “Teremok”, “Cat, rooster and fox”, “Two greedy bear cubs”, “Geese-swans”, “Zayushkina hut” ”,“ Chanterelle with a rolling pin ”,“ Cuckoo ”,“ Ayoga ”,“ Winged, furry, oily ”(arranged by A. Tolstoy),“ Hare-boast ”,“ Chanterelle-sister and wolf ”,“ Twelve months ”( in the processing of S. Marshak), “The Ugly Duckling” by G.Kh. Andersen.

Role-playing game is one of the main and most significant tools for the social development of preschoolers.

In its essence, it is a modeling of social relationships in which there are participants who perform specific joint actions within the framework of established rules to achieve certain goals.

This unique type of activity enables the child to get a positive experience of social interaction in two planes: between the participants of the game and between its characters.

Role-playing game “In the hospital”

Playing, preschooler:
- Masters the norms of social behavior and communication skills.
- Learns to get out of a particular life situation (modeled in a game form).
- Realizes his need for self-determination within the framework of the children’s society.
- Increases the level of self-esteem.
Systematic plot-role-playing game activity in a preschool educational institution is the key to successful socialization of a child at school and in later adult life.

Approximate topics of the games: “At the doctor’s appointment”, “Riding the bus”, “Going to visit”, “Daughters-mothers”, “In the hairdresser”, “In the store” and more.

Interaction of a preschool institution and parents in the implementation of the child’s social development

To increase the effectiveness of the process of social development of a preschooler, the coordinated work of the kindergarten and the family on the basis of mutual trust is necessary.

Joint work of parents and children is a good method of social education

As part of this interaction, the following is provided:
- Joint assistance to the child during the period of adaptation to a preschool institution: observance of uniform regime moments, creation of the most favorable psychological environment in the family.
- Individual work with the parents of a child who has difficulties in successfully mastering the norms of social behavior.
- In difficult pedagogical cases – the involvement of a psychologist in this work.
- Making stands with useful information: a recommended list of children’s and pedagogical literature, themes of role-playing games and joint creative activities in the family.
- Involving parents in leisure activities: quizzes, games, relay races, matinees.
- Organization of receiving active feedback.
The ability to live in society is one of the most important components of a full-fledged, harmoniously developed personality.

A preschool institution has a unique opportunity to carry out both a natural and a specially organized process of social development of its pupils. Through classes, using pedagogical methods and types of work, the child develops a model of positive and productive interaction with other members of society, which was formed in a kindergarten. Successful mastery of this model at preschool age is the key to the future interesting, bright and happy life of the child.

Social development of preschool children

“Childhood is the period of a person’s life from newborn to psychological maturity, during which his social development takes place, becoming a member of human society.
Social development is a process during which a child learns the values, traditions, culture of the society in which he lives. Playing, studying, communicating with adults and peers, he learns to live next to others, take into account their interests, rules and norms of behavior in society, that is, he becomes socially competent. (1

What influences the social development of a small citizen?
Undoubtedly, this process takes place, first of all, in the family. After all, it is the family that is the main transmitter of knowledge, values, relationships, traditions from generation to generation. The atmosphere of the family, the warm relationship between the child and parents, the style of upbringing, which is determined by the norms and rules adopted in the family and which parents pass on to their children – all this has a huge impact on the social development of the baby in the family.
But, if a child attends a preschool institution, then he spends most of his time in a kindergarten, and then educators and other workers are included in the process of his socialization.

“A teacher in a group is the most important person for a child. The child recklessly trusts the educator, endows him with unquestioned authority and all conceivable virtues: intelligence, beauty, kindness. This is not surprising, since the entire life of a child in kindergarten depends on the Primary Adult. In the eyes of the child, it is he who determines when you can play or go for a walk, draw or run, and when you need to sit quietly and listen. He arranges all sorts of interesting games, dances, classes, performances, reads wonderful books, tells fairy tales, stories. He acts as the last resort in resolving children’s conflicts, he sets the rules, he knows everything and can help, support, praise, or maybe not notice, and even scold. (2)

Since the educator is a rather significant figure for the child, the educator bears the main responsibility for shaping the child’s personality, his thinking and behavior.
In addition, he can largely compensate for the unfavorable influence of the family by choosing the right tactics for interacting with the child and ways to control his behavior.
One of the main components of a child’s social development is the development of communication, the establishment of relationships, the formation of friendly ties with peers.

Communication is a process of interaction between people. Today we will talk about pedagogical communication, which is understood as a system of interaction between a teacher and children in order to get to know children, provide educational influences, organize pedagogically appropriate relationships, and form a microclimate favorable for the mental development of a child in a group.

“Experimental studies conducted under the guidance of M.I. Lisina showed that during the first seven years of life, several forms of communication between children and adults consistently arise and replace each other” (3).

Initially, arises directly – emotional communication with loved ones adults . It is based on the child’s need for attention and a benevolent attitude towards himself from others. Communication between an infant and adults proceeds outside of any other activity and constitutes the leading activity of a child of this age. The main means of communication are facial movements.

From 6 months to two years there is a situational-business form of communication between children and adults. The main feature of this type of communication should be considered the practical interaction of a child and an adult. In addition to attention and benevolence, the child also begins to feel the need for the cooperation of an adult (a request for help, an invitation to joint actions, etc.). This helps children recognize objects, learn how to act with them.

Extra-situational-cognitive form of communication is present from 3 to 5 years. Signs of the manifestation of the third form of communication can be the emergence of questions in the child about objects, their various relationships. The most important means of communication at this stage is speech, because it alone opens up opportunities to go beyond the private situation. In this type of communication, the child discusses objects and phenomena of the world of things with adults. This includes news reports, cognitive questions, requests to read, stories about what they have read, seen, fantasies. The main motive for this type of communication is the desire of the child to communicate with adults in order to obtain new information or discuss with them the possible causes of various phenomena of the surrounding world.
1. relationship between teacher and children;
2. relationships between the children themselves.
A positive group climate occurs when children feel free to retain their individuality, while also respecting the right of others to be themselves. The teacher significantly influences the microclimate of the group. In fact, it is he who creates this climate, an atmosphere of looseness, sincerity, taking the position of an equal partner. Undoubtedly, we are not talking about absolute equality, but about equivalence. The organization of space is of great importance for equal communication. In particular, when interacting with a child, it is desirable for the educator to use the “eyes on the same level” position, which excludes the spatial dominance of the teacher. In addition, when organizing classes, talking with children, it makes sense to sit or stand in such a way that all partners can see each other’s eyes (the circle shape is optimal).

In order to establish a good microclimate in a group, it is necessary to be sincerely interested in children as individuals, in their thoughts, experiences, and mood. We ourselves should not be indifferent to how children treat us, and in turn, we should treat them with respect, since respect for children is a signal that they are good, that they are loved.
A teacher in communication with children is not just a person who knows how to communicate Competence in communication is an indicator of the professionalism of a teacher.
How to contribute to the social development of the child?
First, encourage different forms of play. After all, “at preschool age, play is the leading activity, and communication becomes a part and condition of it. At this age, that relatively stable inner world is acquired, which gives grounds for the first time to call the child a personality, although not fully developed, but capable of further development and improvement ”(4).

It is in the game that a child develops powerfully: all mental processes, emotional sphere, social skills and abilities. The difference between the game and other types of activity is that it is focused on the process, not on the result, and the child in the game enjoys this process itself. The game is attractive enough for him. Often we see how preschool children play the same game for a very long time, continuing or starting it again and again, this happens over the next day, week, month after month and even after a year.
The plot-role-playing game for preschool children allows you to create the world around you in a visually effective form, which goes far beyond the limits of the child’s personal life. This activity reproduces the work and life of adults, relationships between them, customs, traditions, bright events in their lives, etc.

From the point of view of D. B. Elkonin, “the game is social in its content, in its nature, in its origin (5).
The sociality of a plot-role-playing game is due to the sociality of motives and the sociality of the structure. A preschooler cannot participate in the production activities of adults, which gives rise to the child’s need to reproduce this activity in a playful way. The child himself wants to build houses, treat people, drive a car, etc., and this is thanks to the game, he can do it.
By creating an imaginary situation, using toys, substitute objects, in actions with which relationships between adults are recreated, the child joins social life, becomes its participant. It is in the game that children work out positive ways of resolving conflicts, find their position in communicating with their peers, give themselves and receive support, approval or dissatisfaction from partners, i.e. children develop ways of adequate interaction.

The game educates children not only by its plot side. When it originates and unfolds, real relationships arise between children regarding the idea, the course of the game: children discuss the content, roles, select game material, etc., they thereby learn to take into account the interests of others, to yield, to contribute to the common cause and etc. Relationships about the game contribute to the development of children’s moral motives for behavior, the emergence of “an internal ethical authority (6).

Play activity will indeed become a means of socialization if our children are able to play, i.e. they will know what and how to play, they will have different game material. And our task is to provide them with a play space and paraphernalia, as well as teach them to play, encourage joint play with a kind word, a smile, and involve less popular children in joint activities. A large role in the organization of the game is played by the children’s community, in which the game rules, roles, ways of their distribution, storylines, etc. transmitted like fire flames. However, if children do not play, do not know how to take a role, develop a plot, the teacher should think. The game is the result of the entire educational process, it is the face of the educator, an indicator of his work, his professionalism.

Activities, games, exercises, playing situations, conversations aimed at studying society, getting to know literature, art, music, discussing interpersonal conflicts, encouraging moral deeds of children, cases of cooperation, mutual assistance, control over the behavior of the child, which in any case should not infringe on his dignity.

Assimilation by a child of ethical norms and requirements, the formation of a humane attitude towards nature and the people around him – this is the social development of the child, which covers all his life in kindergarten.
Therefore, it is important for the teacher to remember that this process is long, complex and multifaceted: the tasks of developing the intellect, feelings, moral foundations of the personality are solved in a complex and require from the teacher not only skill, but also his own experience, a pronounced attitude, because the teacher’s story about kindness, beauty, examples of mutual assistance, playing moral situations with a bad or indifferent mood is unlikely to evoke reciprocal feelings and form an appropriate attitude. This is our responsibility to the child.

But the educator is not a well-functioning machine, not a judge or a magician, but no one except the educator will do this job better, the educator is a person walking next to the child and leading him by the hand into the big world, this is the closest in kindergarten human.

References:

1. Yudina E.G., Stepanova G.B., Denisova E.N. Pedagogical Diagnostics in Kindergarten: A Handbook for Teachers of Preschool Educational Institutions. – M.: Enlightenment, 2003. – p.91.

2. Yudina E.G., Stepanova G.B., Denisova E.N. Pedagogical Diagnostics in Kindergarten: A Handbook for Teachers of Preschool Educational Institutions. – M .: Education, 2003. – p.34.
3. Dubrova V.P., Milashevich E.P. Organization of methodological work in a preschool institution. – M.: New School, 1995. – p. 81

4. Panfilova M.A. Game therapy of communication. Tests and corrective games. A practical guide for psychologists, teachers and parents. – M .: “Publishing house Gnome and D”, 2002. – p.15.

5. Elkonin D.B. Psychological games. – M .: Pedagogy, 1978, p.32.

6. Karpova S.N., Lysyuk L.G. Game and moral development. – M .: Education, 1986, p.17.

Social development of the child. Are there any problems?

Social development is all about learning to communicate, play and build relationships with other people. Although this process, like emotional development, develops throughout life, the first year of a child’s life is an exciting and important time when he will quickly develop these skills.

When children lack social confidence, this can lead to difficulties in relationships with parents and later with friends. Fortunately, most problems of social development are easily solved.

Until the child is about two years old, he will not need to make friends; you will be his main playmates. But even as a newborn, he is learning social skills. When he grows up, he will begin to learn to communicate by making eye contact, smiling and chatting.

You will soon discover that the child has a unique personality of its own. As you grow into the role of a parent, it is important that you let him know that you accept him for who he is.

Signs that the child has problems with social development

It is quite natural for a child to experience separation anxiety at about eight months.

But if your child seems to be anxious for a long time or in various social situations, this may be a sign that he is experiencing social difficulties.

You may notice that he:
- does not smile at others
- cannot maintain eye contact with someone else
- looks away or turns away from others
- cries more than usual in new situations involving other people or unfamiliar places
- Flushing or flushing of the face and neck when in public situations
- enjoys going only to places where a small number of people
- gets tense with others
- he is difficult to console in social situations
What can be done to help a child’s social development?

Spend a lot of time looking at and interacting with your child. You are his role model when it comes to social situations, so give him many opportunities to learn from you. If you find that your child is less socially confident than others, it is important to give him even more opportunities to try out different and new social situations.

The following methods can help your child feel more comfortable around people:
- Take the opportunity to chat with your child while changing diapers, dressing and bathing. Talk about what he does and also what you do. You can also talk about how you both may be feeling to help him begin to connect feelings and behaviors.
- When the child enjoys playing, use this time to sing children’s songs and action rhymes, play hide and seek and tickle. Not only is it great fun for both of you, but it also gives your child a chance to work on their social skills.
- Introduce your child to various social situations, making sure you are there for safety. Going out for coffee, trying different playgroups, joining music or children’s groups can all help your little one learn to deal with unfamiliar situations. They are also a great opportunity for you to create your own social network.
- Children do not really learn to play with other people their own age until the third year of life. However, playing with other children is an important part of social development. Give your child many opportunities to be with other children of the same age. By practicing sharing attention, toys and food, he will acquire important social skills that will be useful throughout his life.
- Eating is an important social event. Use it to spend time together. The child learns about what is socially acceptable at meal times, which will make future trips to the cafe more enjoyable.
- Pay attention to the child’s reactions in social situations and find out how he likes to be comforted. It can be gentle strokes, strong hugs, soothing words in your ear, milk feeding or your favorite toy.
What if I think my child is having social development problems?

As a parent, you are your child’s expert. Pay special attention to his eye contact, the sounds he makes, and any signs of anxiety in social situations. If you notice a consistent and noticeable difference between your child and other children of the same age, talk to your pediatrician.

Social development of the child: Developmental Domain Series: Social Development

Developmental Domain Series: Social Development

Dr.

Let’s Connect!

Categories

Archive

Social Development in Children | SCAN Families

Social Development in Preschoolers – HealthyChildren.org

Learning how to cooperate

When anger or frustration gets physical

Saying sorry

Make-believe play

Development of gender roles & identity

Experimenting with gender attitudes & behaviors

Play sessions: helping your child make friends

Testing limits

Separate the child from their behavior

Sibling relationships

6 Ways to Encourage Social Development in Children

6 Ways you can help children develop their social skills

1. Provide plenty of time and guidance for imaginative play

2. Create space and opportunity for unstructured play

3. Identify real-time emotions and model positive communication

4. Honor differences in personality and temperament

5. Experience and discuss stories together

6. Seek insight from education professionals

Keeping up as they grow

Developmental Stages of Social Emotional Development In Children – StatPearls

Continuing Education Activity

Introduction

Function

Issues of Concern

Clinical Significance

Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes

Review Questions

References

Social-Emotional Development Domain – Child Development (CA Dept of Education)

Foundations

Interactions with Adults

Relationships with Adults

Interactions with Peers

Relationships with Peers

Identity of Self in Relation to Others

Recognition of Ability

Expression of Emotion

Empathy

Emotion Regulation

Impulse Control

Social Understanding

References

Social development of preschoolers: stages, factors, means

What is social development

In the video, the teacher shares his experience of socialization of preschoolers

Stages of social development of a child

Social factors

Social education and its means

Social development in kindergarten

Development of social skills

Social adaptation of children

Social maladaptation

Conclusions

How to make a child’s social development harmonious and comprehensive?

What is social development?

Stages of social development of a preschooler

Socialization up to three years

Socialization of children from 3 to 7 years old

Our disciplines

Other articles

Social development of preschool children in the process of interaction between the preschool educational organization and the family

Social development of preschool children in kindergarten

The role of kindergarten in the social development of a preschooler

Main directions and types of work on social development in a preschool institution specific methods, forms and types of work:

Interaction of a preschool institution and parents in the implementation of the child’s social development

Social development of preschool children

Social development of the child. Are there any problems?

Signs that the child has problems with social development

What can be done to help a child’s social development?

What if I think my child is having social development problems?