Social Emotional Development

What Is Social Emotional Development?

• Development of the capacity to form close and secure adult and peer relationships
• Expression of emotions in socially and culturally appropriate ways
• Exploration of the environment and learning— in the context of family, community, and culture

Social Emotional Development

• Beginning immediately after birth, a baby’s brain is primed to grow and make connections through meaningful experiences
• Supportive and caring environments and reciprocal, nurturing relationships are critical aspects to healthy lifelong development, beginning from the first days of birth and beyond, changing actual brain circuitry
• Connections help develop trust, empathy, and protect from stress and even negate effects of adverse life events and trauma.
• Understanding the significance of emotional development, connectedness is important for prevention, policy, and intervention (supporting parents, facilitating environment, role of school personnel, educators and providers)
• T/F: Few infants are born biologically ready for relationships : FALSE
• T/F Babies prefer looking at faces: TRUE
• T/F: Infants' brain development is completely determined and designed based on genetics: FALSE
• When infants and toddlers feel safe and have their needs met, they are more likely to observe, explore, play, interact, and experiment with people and objects.

Emotions

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard states that the first five years of life are crucial for emotional development, starting at birth.
• Emotions in the early stage are strongly influenced and intertwined with the relationship they have with others, particularly their caregivers
• Hard-wired to make emotional and social connections
• Primed to look at mother, preference for faces over objects, visual acuity
• Look longer at positive emotions, prefer altruistic acts
• Emotional development plays a key role in a child’s health and well-being,
  both short and long-term.

Milestones

• 2 months
  • Calms down when spoken to or picked up
  • Looks at your face
  • Smiles at people when they talk or smile
  • Cries when hungry, wet, tired, or wants to be held
• 4 months
  • Smiles on own to get attention
  • Begins making early noise sounds of laughter when prompted to laugh
  • Looks at you, moves, or makes sound to get or keep your attention
  • Smiles or coos at self in the mirror
• 6 months
  • Knows familiar people
  • Enjoys looking at self in a mirror
  • Laughs
  • Plays by grabbing foot when laying on back
• 9 months
  • Is shy, clingy, or fearful of strangers
  • Shows several facial expressions like happy, sad, angry, surprised
  • Looks when you call their name
  • Reacts when you leave (looks, reaches for you, or cries)
  • Smiles or laughs when you play peek-a-boo

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