The Foundation of Lifelong Success
Social-emotional skills are among the strongest predictors of success in school and life. Here's how to nurture these crucial abilities.
What is Social-Emotional Development?
Key Components
- **Self-awareness**: Understanding own emotions
- **Self-regulation**: Managing emotions and behavior
- **Social awareness**: Understanding others' feelings
- **Relationship skills**: Building positive connections
- **Responsible decision-making**: Making good choices
Development by Age
Infants (0-12 Months)
- Form secure attachments
- Begin recognizing emotions
- Respond to caregiver emotions
Toddlers (1-3 Years)
- Experience big emotions
- Begin parallel play
- Start showing empathy
- Test boundaries
Preschoolers (3-5 Years)
- Develop friendships
- Learn to share and take turns
- Understand rules
- Express emotions verbally
Strategies for Parents
Building Emotional Vocabulary
- Name emotions as they occur
- Read books about feelings
- Use emotion charts
- Model emotional expression
Teaching Self-Regulation
- **Calm-down strategies**: Deep breathing, counting
- **Sensory tools**: Stress balls, quiet spaces
- **Routines**: Predictability reduces anxiety
- **Validation**: Accept all feelings
Encouraging Social Skills
- **Playdates**: Supervised peer interaction
- **Role-playing**: Practice social scenarios
- **Cooperative games**: Turn-taking practice
- **Conflict resolution**: Guide problem-solving
Handling Big Emotions
The RULER Approach
1. **Recognize** the emotion 2. **Understand** the cause 3. **Label** the feeling 4. **Express** appropriately 5. **Regulate** the responseWhat NOT to Do
- Dismiss feelings ("You're fine")
- Punish emotional expression
- Compare to other children
- Rush through emotions
At Gentle Bees
Our curriculum emphasizes social-emotional learning, with daily activities designed to build these crucial skills. We share progress through our app so you can reinforce learning at home.