In a toddler or preschooler’s holistic development, most of the developmental domains focus on the academic aspect as we prepare preschoolers for schooling years.
The next focus may then be on the physical development aspect as it is most obvious to the eye. Of the 6 domains in the early childhood curriculum, there is one that focuses on the inner world of the child - the social and emotional development.
In Gardner’s multiple of intelligence, it is split into the intrapersonal intelligence and interpersonal intelligence. As they all form part and parcel of a toddler or preschooler’s growth and development, it is vital that an equal amount of emphasis is placed on all the domains.
Therefore, in this article, we will share more information about this domain and how adults help to develop the socio-emotional development of preschoolers.
When children attend childcare, they have the chance to interact with others around their age. Through this interaction, they learn more about interpersonal skills (how to relate to others, follow rules and routines, express their feelings in an appropriate manner).
Socio-emotional development enables children to communicate with others. It is linked to their cognitive domain as they require understanding and language to help them communicate. Apart from language, emotions also help them to interact with others.
They will then develop their sense of personal identity, and learn more about conventional behaviour and about the customs of the community and society. Therefore the development of their interpersonal skills also helps to develop their intrapersonal skills (a sense of self).
According to Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, the second stage “Autonomy vs shame and doubt” occurs at the age between 18 months and 2 to 3 years old. As the title of the stage suggests, during this stage, it is important to allow them to have autonomy or freedom of choice.
During this period, adults can start with giving them more freedom on what they want to wear, what they would like to play as they start to develop their likes and dislikes. They are able to have better control of their body and so they will start to want to complete some things on their own and become less dependent on others. This could come in the form of trying to dress themselves and wearing their own shoes.
They may still require some assistance, such as for buttons or tying of shoelaces, as their fine motor skills are not so well developed at this point of time, but it is good to let them try what they are able to do on their own. Empathy is also another key aspect in terms of interpersonal skills. By learning to understand how others feel through their expressions and actions, they can then develop a sense of compassion for others. Infants already start to show some form of empathy when they cry along after hearing other infants cry. At two to three years of age, they may already know how to offer and share things with other people, based on what they observe they may like.
However, as with everything we learn, there still needs to be practice and we can practise empathy by constantly observing people around us and also communicating feelings.
In terms of interpersonal relations, play is the basis of which children form friendships and bonds with others. According to Parten’s stages of play, in this age group, they are transiting through parallel play where toddlers may be sitting beside each other playing with the same or similar toys but are not interacting with each other to onlooker play, where the toddler or nursery child may be watching other children play but does not want to participate in it.
Therefore, it is fine that during this stage, their form of play is still pretty solitary even if they may be found playing with the same materials within a group setting. Friendships start to take form more often after they are past three years of age.
The next stage of Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, “Initiative vs guilt”, covers the nursery to preschool age of 3 to 6 years old. You can expect that during this age group, nursery and preschoolers will take more action and be more vocal in their expression.
They are also very willing to try new things or come up with new things using their imagination. Here, encouraging them to try new things, being open and accepting to their ideas while steering them to make the appropriate choices are the role of the adults.
It is a time where they will face conflicts and setbacks as they may insist on their own choices instead of listening to the adults. Therefore modelling and being consistent will help them through this period. They will also want to achieve more than what they are asked or expected to do. Therefore it is a good time to present them with some responsibilities or errands so that they get the chance to accomplish these tasks independently which in turn develop their self-confidence.
At three years old, they start to engage in associative play, according to Parten’s stages of play, where they will interact with others during their play, initiating sharing or borrowing with others. This is where they will start to form relationships with their peers and build friendships as they desire for companionship during their play time. From the age of four, they will engage in cooperative play.
In this form of play, there is a higher level of interaction between the preschoolers. They will learn to take turns and collaborate, for example, in a pretend play situation. At this stage, they start to develop their sense of morality from family values. Their understanding of what’s right and what’s wrong is based on what they can see within their family. In the toddler age group, they may not understand what is right and wrong but determine if actions can be done by the praise or punishment by others.
Socio-emotional development may not be as straightforward as learning 1, 2, 3 as human beings are complex creatures, but there are still things adults can do in helping our preschoolers grow in this aspect of development.
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Genesis Childcare 1989, one of the best Tampines Preschool and a good childcare in Tampines, advocates that every child is unique and precious who needs to be loved and cherished. In our Tampines childcare (Tampines Central), we have developed a curriculum which provides a bilingual learning experience, helps the children to learn the necessary skills and knowledge needed to help them successfully transit to Primary School with ease.
As one of the best childcare centre in Tampines since 1989, we are committed to nurturing our early learners holistically through various learning areas and positive learning dispositions. In our Tampines Preschool, we place a strong emphasis on the way our teachers facilitate and interact with the children.
Teachers from our childcare Tampines or Playgroup in Tampines are trained, qualified, passionate, dedicated, enthusiastic, caring and encouraging who love and empower each child to fulfil their potential to the fullest. Our Tampines Preschool professional team of preschool teachers has a good understanding of child development and learning principles. We apply them efficiently and set the stage to create a meaningful learning experience that supports your child's discovery.
The children in our preschool Tampines get to learn English, Chinese, Maths, Science, Music and Movement, Arts, Outdoor Play and cookery lessons. Our Preschool Tampines also provides balanced and nutritious meals for the children and helps the children to cultivate healthy eating habits.
We consistently create a positive and cozy environment that will give your child a sense of security which builds their self-confidence to explore the world around them in our good childcare in Tampines.
In our good childcare in Tampines, we have over 30 years of experience in nurturing thousands of infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
If you are looking for a good Tampines infant care or Tampines preschool or Tampines childcare near Tampines Central, do consider Genesis Childcare 1989.
Located alongside our childcare centre in Tampines is our Nurture Infant House. If you are looking for a good Tampines infant care or infant care in Tampines, do visit Nurture Infant House. It is for infants aged 2 months to 18 months old. You can learn more about our infant care Tampines here.
Lastly, would you like to visit our Genesis Childcare Tampines to find out more about our environment and setup as well as understand our operations by talking to our teachers and supervisor?
Genesis Childcare 1989 (Playgroup to Kindergarten 2)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-63/65 S(520433)
Nurture Infant House (2 to 18 months Infants)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-61 S(520433)
Opening hours: Monday to Friday (7am to 7pm) & Saturday (7am to 2pm)
Public Bus services: 8 / 21 / 28 / 29 / 293