How to Support Your Preschooler’s Social Emotional Development

Date : Friday, February 13 2009
Source: Department of Workforce Services

You can nurture your child’s social emotional development by helping him develop a strong sense of self, fostering his capacity for independence and encouraging his relationships with others. Facilitate your child’s healthy social emotional development by providing opportunities to learn and practice these developing skills.

Social emotional development refers to the development of the ability to form close relationships; to experience, manage and express emotions; and to feel good about oneself. Social emotional development is just as important as physical development, and like a child’s overall development, your child’s sense of self is shaped by his early interactions and experiences. A healthy social emotional development is basic to all learning and as such, serves as your child’s foundation for school readiness and for future quality relationships.

Self Concept
Help your preschooler develop and express an awareness of self by talking about his physical characteristics, abilities and likes/dislikes. By supporting your child’s healthy self concept, you make him feel valued by a person he considers important.

• Encourage your preschooler to draw a self portrait by tracing his body on a large sheet of wrapping paper (the undecorated side), butcher paper or several sheets of newsprint taped together. If these are not available, have your child draw his self portrait on a sheet of copy paper. Afterwards, ask your child to dictate a story about himself as you write it on the back of the picture. Encourage him to include his physical characteristics, a description of his abilities and what he likes and doesn’t like.
• Provide your child with paper and markers. Help him make a heart and write “I Like Me” at the top of the page. Then, encourage him to dictate the things he likes about himself (abilities, accomplishments, etc.) as you write them inside the heart.

Independence
Nurture your child’s capacity for independence by introducing simple household responsibilities. In addition to fostering independence and a sense of responsibility, this activity also demonstrates the importance of cooperation by illustrating each family member’s contribution to the family as a whole.

• Make a House Helper Chart with your child and talk about a household responsibility that he is ready to assume.
• Praise the process and not just the end result. For example, “I like how you tried really hard to button your jacket!”

Relationships
Help your preschooler develop his awareness/expression of feelings and his understanding of how his actions affect others.

• Explore ideas on how to express emotions in challenging situations by reading and talking about children’s books on the subject: When Sophie gets Angry, Really, REALLY Angry by Molly Bang; Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No-Good Very-Bad Day by Judith Viorst; Hands are not for Hitting by Martine Agassi; There’s a Monster Under My Bed by James Howe; There is a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer; and Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed Emberley and Anne Miranda. Ask your local librarian for additional suggestions.
• Acknowledge and label your preschooler’s emotions. Also remember that it is important to model the appropriate expression of emotions.
• Help your preschooler practice impulse control by playing Red Light, Green Light (Players may move about when a person says, “Green Light,” but they must freeze when the person says, “Red Light!”), Statutes (Players may move across a room until a person turns around, and then the players must freeze. If a player is seen moving after the person turns around, he has to start over.), or Freeze (Players may move around until the person says, “Freeze!” If a player moves, he is identified, but he continues playing.).
• Foster cooperative skills by having your preschooler and a friend “dig for bones” together. Draw or find a picture of a dinosaur. Cut the picture into an appropriate number of pieces, and then, hide the pieces. Have the children find the pieces and put the puzzle together collaboratively.

The most important things you can do to foster your child’s social emotional development are to talk with him, hug him often, listen empathetically, tell him that you love him and give the gift of your time.