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The Importance of Social Emotional Development

The Importance of Social Emotional Development
Resources

May 21, 2021

Resource: Blog Industry: Education, K12
Tags: K12 Education, Special Education

Potentially more than any other aspect of early childhood education, researchers agree on the importance of a child's social emotional development. This is because social emotional competence is associated with so many factors related to leading a productive, fulfilling life including:

  • mental well-being
  • school success
  • positive relationships
  • responsible decision making
  • self-management

Helping children through the process of social emotional learning and setting them on the path to social emotional competence is an important role of the adults involved in their lives. Their most important roles can be summed up in three categories: modeling, reacting, and teaching.

A Few Things to Consider

  1. Social emotional learning starts early. The skills need to be taught, practiced, and reinforced beginning in early childhood.
  2. Opportunities to practice social emotional skills should be embedded throughout the child’s day in order to be effective.
  3. Social emotional competence develops when children have the opportunity to recognize their own emotions, understand the feelings of others, consider the impact of their actions on others, value their relationships, and make responsible decisions based on all of these factors.
  4. Competence in social emotional learning occurs when individuals are able to use their new skills in a variety of new environments and activities, and with a variety of other individuals.

You can support children’s social emotional learning by creating a warm and safe environment, modeling emotions, recognizing and responding to children's emotions and experiences, and encouraging their progress.

How We Can Help

For more on social emotional learning and early childhood, explore the Early Childhood courses in your course library or request a demo below! Vector Training, Special Education (formerly Exceptional Child) can help prepare your educators to meet the needs of your diverse learners from early childhood through transition services.

The tips included above are from the course, Early Childhood: Social Emotional Learning.

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