Mental development is a long-term and ongoing process that includes numerous aspects of intelligence, senses, awareness, conscience, knowledge, and consciousness. It is always said that the development of the emotional quotient is as vital as the development of the intelligence quotient is.
Most famous and celebrated psychologists suggest that guardians should begin the process of social and emotional development in children during the early years. Coming to the necessity of both these aspects, a socially and emotionally developed human being is excellent in communication, interaction, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and relationship-building skills.
Keeping all the above-mentioned facts aside, most schools, educational institutions, parents, and guardians neglect the importance of social and emotional development in students.
This article focuses on throwing some light on the meaning, importance, principles, and the process of social and emotional development in children.
What is Social & Emotional Development?
Social Development is the process through which children get to know more about their personality traits and gain skills to interact or communicate. It is a very essential part of mental development as studies prove that social skills help individuals to gain confidence to initiate effective communication.
In easier words, social skills supports an individual to meet other individuals and interact with them the right way.
On the other hand, Emotional skills of human beings helps them to learn and perceive the emotions of other people. The combination of social-emotional development supports children to maintain their specific personalities in the community.
Some studies prove that children with positive social and emotional development are excellent at building, maintaining, and improving relationships/friendships. Not only this, students with the positive development of social and emotional skills are also good at the following traits.
Self-Reliance
Most of the students that are good with social and emotional skills are good with self-reliance. In other words, such students or children like to stay independent and seek lesser help for the tasks they know they can complete.
Self-Confidence
Confidence is the most necessary trait for an expressive communication session. One needs to be confident enough to carry forward both one-way or two-way communication methodologies.
Emotional Quotient
Last but not the least, most students that are introduced to social and emotional skills at the right age generally have a higher emotional quotient as compared to the children that are introduced later.
How is Your Child Developing Himself/Herself Socially & Emotionally?
Every child is undergoing the process of social-emotional development throughout childhood and adolescence period. Certain signs and indications help us to analyze whether children are developing their social-emotional skills or not.
If your child is 2-3 years old
Children by this age begin to copy the actions and acts of people they see. By the age of 2 years and 6 months, your child will be able to understand emotions like affection, anger, and joy.
If your child is 3-4 years old
The theory of teamwork, helping, and caring steps in by the age of 3 or 4 years in children. They begin to cooperate with their friends and family during playtime and show significant changes in their personalities.
If your child is 4-5 years old
By this age, children start learning the concepts of relationships like friends or even best friends. Several changes in attitude, personality traits, and behavior can be noticed at this age.
If your child is 5-6 years old
At this stage, children tend to show complex emotions like demands and tantrums. They begin to understand the significant emotion that will help them to get in their comfort zone. They also start spending some independent and alone time.
How Can Parents Help in Social & Emotional Development?
Parents, guardians, and the child’s family play the most important roles in the development of social and emotional skills. An hour-long general communication with your child daily can help you a lot to build a trustable bond and develop emotional skills.
Children are often exposed to such situations and environments where emotional imbalances are possible. Therefore, such situations, circumstances, and environments allow the children to learn to control, regulate, and improve their emotions.
- Take out time to talk about how your children’s day has been so far. The primary motive here is to initiate a deep and transparent communication between you and your children where sharing of thoughts, ideas, suggestions, criticisms takes place.
- Talk to your child about asking for help and helping others too. Most children believe that asking for help makes them seem weak or incapable. Parents should make their children believe that seeking help does not make them incapable, but more logical and analytical.
- Teaching children about identifying feelings may sound like a difficult or strenuous task. Believe us, children are already really good at identifying feelings and emotions. You just have to teach them how to handle the identified feeling or type of emotion.
- The introduction of problem-solving situations may help to make your child more analytical and logical. It is indirectly related to social and emotional development as children learn to deal with several situations in life.
Activities to support Social-Emotional Development in kids
Numerous activities can encourage children to focus on their social and emotional skills. Parents can perform the following activities with their children to help them in the development of such skills. These day-to-day general activities put a greater emphasis on situation handling.
Family Playtime: Parents are suggested to take an hour out from their daily schedule to play with their children. It increases their interest and engagement and therefore results in better relationship building.
Hour-long Conversations: Communication is the key to everything. Parents should initiate a healthy hour-long conversation with their children to make them understand the emotional and social skills that an individual requires in distinctive situations.
Share Your Thoughts: Sharing your thoughts, ideologies, and funny little secrets with your children can make them realize that they can share things with their parents too! This activity will help the children in the long run!
That is very well said, and it’s important for the child’s development and self-confidence building.