Know

Reflection

Consider all the different people with which you have a relationship. At home, your relationships might include your spouse, parents, children, or other family members, and friends. You have relationships with the people you interact with at work: other staff members, families, and children in your program. You may also have a relationship with the person who delivers your mail, your doctor, and your neighbors. Think how important your relationships are to your daily life and well-being? What would your life be like without those relationships?

Relationships are what make up the foundation of social-emotional health. Without positive relationships, it would be difficult to achieve a sense of belonging and acceptance, or to feel like you are part of a community. Relationships are at the foundation of social-emotional health. Children spend the first years of their lives creating deep bonds within their families. As they mature, they are ready to begin developing strong relationships and bonds with their peers, teachers, and other individuals.

What is Social-Emotional Development?

Children begin developing social-emotional skills at birth. Research indicates that children are born ready to connect with other people in their environment. The infant’s brain matures as a result of these interactions. When a child’s emotional and physical needs are met, learning pathways to the brain are formed, which lead to learning in all developmental domains. Emotional signals, such as smiling, crying, or demonstrating interest and attention, strongly influence the behaviors of others. Similarly, the emotional reactions of others affect children’s social behaviors. As children mature and develop, their social-emotional skills become less centered on having their own needs met by their caregivers, and more focused on participating in routines and enjoying experiences with friends and caregivers.

The early childhood years are a critical time for the formation of positive feelings toward oneself, others, and the larger world. When children are encouraged, nurtured, and accepted by adults and peers, they are more likely to be well adjusted. On the contrary, children who are neglected, rejected, or abused are at risk for social and mental health challenges.

Take a moment to think about what social-emotional development means to you. What comes to mind? How do you explain social-emotional development to others? According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), social and emotional development (also called social-emotional learning) consists of the following five core components:

The Role of Family in Social-Emotional Development

Children develop social-emotional skills in the context of their relationships with their primary caregivers, families, and cultures. Considering how diverse our society is, you can imagine that this diversity is also expressed in how families from different cultures teach children to manage emotions, socialize, and engage with others. For example, in some cultures, children are taught to avoid eye contact when communicating with others. For other cultures, eye contact is an essential component of social interaction. Culture also affects parenting practices and ways individuals deal with emotions, including handling stress and coping with adversity.

Family priorities affect social-emotional competence. For example, some families might place a high value on talking about emotions and expressing them as they occur, whereas other families may value the opposite. As a school-age staff member, you need to be sensitive and respectful of individual differences in social-emotional development when engaging with children in your care and their families.

What Does Social-Emotional Development Look Like in School-Age Children?

School-age children are working hard to develop their social-emotional skills. They are learning the importance of expressing and managing their feelings. They will begin to understand their varied emotions, how to handle them, and how they apply to different experiences and situations. School-age children are also learning the value of positive healthy relationships. They are learning how to make and keep friends and how to develop relationships with mentors, teachers, and other adults in their lives. For school-age children, a strong emphasis is placed on cultivating common social skills.

School-Age Social Skills

Social skills pertain to the way we interact and communicate with others. They might also be called “social rules,” because many times, these skills are unspoken rules we use when interacting with others. When children develop common social skills, they are more likely to experience success in school and later in life. The list below will provide you with common social skills.

See

Do

As a school-age staff member, there will be a variety of opportunities for you to promote social-emotional development in school-age children. You support the development of important social-emotional skills by:

• Modeling social skills, relationship building techniques, and how to treat others with respect.
• Planning activities and experiences that help children develop their social skills, feeling of empathy, respect for others, and sense of achievement.
• Creating a learning environment that acts as a community and allows children to feel that they belong to a group.
• Using supervision strategies, positive interactions, modeling, and social-emotional teaching strategies to prevent and address bullying.

Throughout this course on social-emotional development, there will be many references to being a positive role model for children. As a school-age staff member, children will look to you for cues on how to interact with others. Therefore, you should:

• Always maintain a positive and respectful demeanor when interacting with children and adults.
• Express your emotions in a positive way. Stay calm when under pressure and keep your emotions regulated.
• Be aware of your body language and keep it positive.
• Communicate regularly with all children and staff in your program.

Completing this Course

For more information on what to expect in this course, the Social & Emotional Development Competency Reflection, and a list of the accompanying Learn, Explore and Apply resources and activities offered throughout the lessons, visit the School-Age Social & Emotional Development Course Guide. 

Please note the References & Resources section at the end of each lesson outlines reference sources and resources to find additional information on the topics covered. As you complete lessons, you are not expected to review all the online references available. However, you are welcome to explore the resources further if you have interest, or at the request of your trainer, coach, or administrator.