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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

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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