How can you help your preschool child feel confident, treat others with respect and be excited about learning? In this article, you will learn ten questions to ask yourself as you interact with your child. With each questions we suggest a few tips on how to set up your environment, plan your day, or respond to your child’s behavior so that your child is developing the social and emotional skills s/he needs to be successful at school. Social/Emotional development focuses on the child’s emerging sense of self, ability to form bonds and create relationships, approach to learning and the deepening connection to their surrounding world or community. From an early age, children begin to express and interpret emotions. They long for a sense of belonging and ask for attention. Research by Maslow and Erik Erikson supports that young children who feel safe and loved, are able to better learn and develop cognitively. Children who feel supported and encouraged to explore new ideas, build critical thinking skills and take more physical risks that lead to increased motor development.
Whether you are a preschool teacher or parent of young children, here are 10 Questions to ask yourself to help nurture your preschooler’s social/emotional development
1. At what stage of social/emotional development is your child?
2. How can you set-up an environment that nurtures a child’s social/emotional development.
- Consider using cubbies or bins to make a personal space for each child.
- Offer equipment and toys that the child can independently use and explore.
- Create a simple organizational system so that children can help clean-up and contribute to the learning environment.
3. How do the child’s feelings or social/emotional needs influence the way you change your environment?
- Consider rearranging the space to include a private and safe place for the child to go and cool-down when you notice a child is angry or out of control.
- Consider moving children closer to you by removing excess furniture or items, to help comfort children who may feel afraid or lonely.
- Invite children to bring items from home and find a place in your room to display them to help children who may have difficulty separating from their parents.
4. What activities or routines have you established to nurture the social/emotional development of the child?
- Throughout the day, invite children to express their likes, dislikes and preferences.
- Schedule more time into your daily routine for children to have open play with peers or with you.
- Nurture a child’s curiosity and minimize frustration by setting realistic expectations on how long a child will stay focuses or sit still for a given activity.
- Help the child deepen a love for learning by planning activities that are neither too hard nor too easy but developmentally appropriate.
5. How do the child’s feelings or social/emotional needs influence the way you immediately change your daily routine or activities?
- Be flexible with your daily routine: add more quiet time if a child feels exhausted, or add more active time if the child feels overly energetic.
- If a child feels overwhelmed with an activity, offer just enough support (scaffolding) to help the child get past the block so the child can move independently forward.
- Extend an activity that the child feels excited about. Allocate more time to go deeper on this topic. Use preschool curriculum that is both open-ended and flexible to connect with the unique interests and questions of your child.
6. How can you create community connections that nurture a child’s emotional/social development?
- If you run a daycare, establish drop-off routines that build trust between caregiver, parents and children.
- Consider pairing children based on shared interests and invite them to collaborate on a project or to play cooperatively together.
- Offer children opportunities to contribute to the classroom community by assigning little helper jobs.
- Consider going on fieldtrips or inviting community members into your room to build mentors and community connections.
7. How do the child’s feelings or social/emotional needs influence the way you involve family or the greater community?
- Consider working with families to establish a unified home and school behavior policy.
- Display the child’s work for both the family and child to see. Offer many opportunities to the child to do creative preschool projects or activities where they can express their thoughts and ideas. When you celebrate the child’s work, you help build your child’s pride in trying his/her best.
- If a child has a cultural tradition that is important to him/her, find creative ways to incorporate that tradition into your learning experiences.
8. How does a child’s emotional/social development impact their physical development?
- If a child is hesitant to participate in a physical activity, consider ideas for increasing the child’s sense of security and safety.
- If a child gets frustrated with fine or gross motor activities, consider ideas for increasing the child’s feelings of success and confidence around the process of learning a new skill.
- If a child hits or uses a negative physical responses to situations, consider ideas for increasing the child’s level of self-control.
- If a child is destructive or unwilling to participate in the care of the room, consider ways to increase the child’s ownership and sense of belongingness.
9. How does the child’s social/emotional development impact their cognitive development?
- Brain development is impaired when children do not feel safe.
- Brain development is optimized when children contribute to the planning process and feel valued as a capable contributor.
- Children retain and recall information better when they feel engaged, excited and personally connected to the information.
- Children will want to learn more and take more cognitive risks when they feel encouraged and validated as an intelligent learner.
10.How do you measure the quality of your program or interactions with your child in regards to the child’s social/emotional development?
- A quality program nurtures the child’s self-image.
- A quality program supports the child to confidently take risks.
- A quality program supports the child to develop caring and trusting relationships.
- A quality program builds bridges between the child and the community.
In summary, the way you communicate, participate and engage with your child can help build a child’s self-image and ability to make meaningful relationships. Whether you are a preschool teacher or a parent, by setting up a nurturing environment, implementing a daily routine and being attentive to your child’s shifting needs will help your child feel safe and loved. This results in a child who is ready to learn and grow both intellectually and emotionally.
If you would like more information on how to build your child’s social skills, try one month of Mother Goose Time curriculum. Leslie Falconer, author of the article is CEO, offers additional articles and free printables through the Mother Goose Time E-newsletter. Register at Mother Goose Time.
Whether you are a preschool teacher or parent of young children, here are 10 Questions to ask yourself to help nurture your preschooler’s social/emotional development
1. At what stage of social/emotional development is your child?
2. How can you set-up an environment that nurtures a child’s social/emotional development.
- Consider using cubbies or bins to make a personal space for each child.
- Offer equipment and toys that the child can independently use and explore.
- Create a simple organizational system so that children can help clean-up and contribute to the learning environment.
3. How do the child’s feelings or social/emotional needs influence the way you change your environment?
- Consider rearranging the space to include a private and safe place for the child to go and cool-down when you notice a child is angry or out of control.
- Consider moving children closer to you by removing excess furniture or items, to help comfort children who may feel afraid or lonely.
- Invite children to bring items from home and find a place in your room to display them to help children who may have difficulty separating from their parents.
4. What activities or routines have you established to nurture the social/emotional development of the child?
- Throughout the day, invite children to express their likes, dislikes and preferences.
- Schedule more time into your daily routine for children to have open play with peers or with you.
- Nurture a child’s curiosity and minimize frustration by setting realistic expectations on how long a child will stay focuses or sit still for a given activity.
- Help the child deepen a love for learning by planning activities that are neither too hard nor too easy but developmentally appropriate.
5. How do the child’s feelings or social/emotional needs influence the way you immediately change your daily routine or activities?
- Be flexible with your daily routine: add more quiet time if a child feels exhausted, or add more active time if the child feels overly energetic.
- If a child feels overwhelmed with an activity, offer just enough support (scaffolding) to help the child get past the block so the child can move independently forward.
- Extend an activity that the child feels excited about. Allocate more time to go deeper on this topic. Use preschool curriculum that is both open-ended and flexible to connect with the unique interests and questions of your child.
6. How can you create community connections that nurture a child’s emotional/social development?
- If you run a daycare, establish drop-off routines that build trust between caregiver, parents and children.
- Consider pairing children based on shared interests and invite them to collaborate on a project or to play cooperatively together.
- Offer children opportunities to contribute to the classroom community by assigning little helper jobs.
- Consider going on fieldtrips or inviting community members into your room to build mentors and community connections.
7. How do the child’s feelings or social/emotional needs influence the way you involve family or the greater community?
- Consider working with families to establish a unified home and school behavior policy.
- Display the child’s work for both the family and child to see. Offer many opportunities to the child to do creative preschool projects or activities where they can express their thoughts and ideas. When you celebrate the child’s work, you help build your child’s pride in trying his/her best.
- If a child has a cultural tradition that is important to him/her, find creative ways to incorporate that tradition into your learning experiences.
8. How does a child’s emotional/social development impact their physical development?
- If a child is hesitant to participate in a physical activity, consider ideas for increasing the child’s sense of security and safety.
- If a child gets frustrated with fine or gross motor activities, consider ideas for increasing the child’s feelings of success and confidence around the process of learning a new skill.
- If a child hits or uses a negative physical responses to situations, consider ideas for increasing the child’s level of self-control.
- If a child is destructive or unwilling to participate in the care of the room, consider ways to increase the child’s ownership and sense of belongingness.
9. How does the child’s social/emotional development impact their cognitive development?
- Brain development is impaired when children do not feel safe.
- Brain development is optimized when children contribute to the planning process and feel valued as a capable contributor.
- Children retain and recall information better when they feel engaged, excited and personally connected to the information.
- Children will want to learn more and take more cognitive risks when they feel encouraged and validated as an intelligent learner.
10.How do you measure the quality of your program or interactions with your child in regards to the child’s social/emotional development?
- A quality program nurtures the child’s self-image.
- A quality program supports the child to confidently take risks.
- A quality program supports the child to develop caring and trusting relationships.
- A quality program builds bridges between the child and the community.
In summary, the way you communicate, participate and engage with your child can help build a child’s self-image and ability to make meaningful relationships. Whether you are a preschool teacher or a parent, by setting up a nurturing environment, implementing a daily routine and being attentive to your child’s shifting needs will help your child feel safe and loved. This results in a child who is ready to learn and grow both intellectually and emotionally.
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