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(Unit 3) Topic 1: Social and Emotional Development

2 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Preschool Emotional Development 

​Topic 1 Page 8

To meet the emotional needs of preschoolers, make sure you:

• Create a positive, close relationship with each child in your care
• Provide structure and routine throughout the day, and allow plenty of time for transitions
• Allow time for children to talk about their interests and what they see and do
• Use children’s names frequently in songs and games
• Display children’s art work and photos of children and their families
• Encourage children to draw pictures and tell stories about self, family, and cultural practices
• Provide many opportunities for children to initiate activities, develop and demonstrate control of their bodies, and practice self-help skills
• Help children deal with feelings and strong emotions in positive ways
  Say, “It’s okay to be angry, but it’s not okay to hurt people. Use your words to tell me about it, or perhaps you would rather draw a picture or be alone for awhile.”

​Some children need help developing the social skills necessary for cooperative and dramatic play. They may need practice in taking turns and the “me first, then you” patterns involved in this play. Remember that children are not born with these skills, they are learned. Teachers need to model and teach the desired social skills. Preschoolers are learning to respect the rights of others, and to use words to settle arguments.  Once again, these skills take time to learn. Quarrels and fights are a normal part of the preschool years. It is important to help children work through their own solutions rather than stepping in and solving problems for them. ​

Socially, preschool children begin playing with each other instead of alongside each other. This is called cooperative play.  A major component of cooperative play is dramatic play. Dramatic play is pretending or making believe. This type of play occurs when children act out roles themselves and when they manipulate figures such as small toy people in a dollhouse. Dramatic play is enhanced by props that reflect cultural diversity.  ​​ 

Provide many dramatic play materials, including:

• Dress-up clothes with shoes, clothing, and hats for both men and women
• Work attire such as hardhats, transportation worker caps, western hats, running shoes, clip-on ties, and jackets
• Props such as clothing and plastic foods representing a variety of cultures and equipment used by people with differing abilities
• Props to support dramatic play themes such as restaurant (old menus, and paper and markers for taking orders), grocery store (empty cereal boxes, soup cans, egg cartons, milk cartons, etc.), and fire fighting (fire hats, old rubber boots, sections of hose, etc.)
  

​​​Social/Emotional Development in Preschoolers

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What Most Preschoolers Do at 3 Years:

• Copies adults and friends
• Shows affection for friends without prompting
• Takes turns in games
• Shows concern for a crying friend
• Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
• Shows a wide range of emotions
• Separates easily from mom and dad
• May get upset with major changes in routine
• Dresses and undresses self

The little girl in this photo is hugging her friend. Showing affection for friends without prompting is a 3-year social/emotional milestone.

What Most Preschoolers Do at 4 Years:

• Enjoys doing new things
• Plays “Mom” and “Dad”
• Is more and more creative with make-believe play
• Would rather play with other children than by himself
  
• Cooperates with other children
• Often can’t tell what’s real and what’s make-believe
• Talks about what she likes and what she is interested in

By making up a story about being a fireman, this boy is showing more creativity in his pretend play. This is a 4-year social/emotional milestone.

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