Social and emotional development

Social-emotional development and influencing factors

This is how social-emotional development happens:

Every child is already an individual, but social-emotional development is also subject to external influences. Already one infant has its own temperament and character traits, even the smallest ones react unconsciously in different ways and that has to be taken into account. Funding can only be targeted and meaningful if this is taken into account.

Adults, initially mainly parents or older siblings, are role models for the child. Respect and compassion are exemplified here Children adopt the behavior that is modeled for them. If the parents are not very emotional, empathetic or uncontrolled, this is passed on to the children. Certain behaviors are adopted that can potentially lead to advantages or disadvantages in social and emotional interactions in society.

Stages of development and their challenges:

At certain stages of development, from babies to children, individual skills are learned and consolidated. Each stage is important because if individual stages are disrupted, children and later adults may have difficulty adapting:

• Little to no assertiveness
• Poorly developed self-esteem, little self-confidence


Educational assistance for parents - this is how you talk to the youth welfare office

Families that are in trouble are entitled to help from the youth welfare office. For example …

• Selfish and/or aggressive behavior
• Inability to make friends
• Excessive anxiety

It is important here that parents, the family environment or even teachers in primary schools recognize whether the child has emotional and social deficits and specifically try to counteract them works.

The development stages according to age:

• Newborn to first year of life: the baby can only express its feelings by crying or screaming, but it can recognize the facial expressions of familiar faces
• Between the ages of two and three, the “defiance phase” often occurs, where limits are tested, such as: “When will mom get angry, how far can I go?”
• Within the fourth and fifth year of life, children make their first social contacts and can slowly empathize with others and their emotional world. This phase is important for the development of empathy.
• From around the age of six, children find it increasingly easier to express their own feelings appropriately and to be considerate of others. This is also where most children begin their school years, where it becomes increasingly important for socialization.
• The school child continues to learn to express his own emotions with appropriate facial expressions and gestures and recognize what is going on in those around him.
• The child is now also able to verbally express what feelings move him or her. Initial strategies are also developed to counteract or regulate certain emotions.

Promote social-emotional development:

That's why it's crucial for later adult life how well you are socially and emotionally trained Is it worth making the effort to develop a child at a young age? support financially:

• Contact with other people, initially preferably with people of around the same age, improves communication skills and empathy.
• Your own feelings are important and right! If these are not taken seriously and decisions are made over the child, self-confidence can develop. If decisions are always made over the child or emotions are downplayed, the child is shown that he cannot trust his feelings because others know better.
• Playing together, preferably role-playing games, is a good way to put yourself in the shoes of others. You can swap roles here or re-enact a visit to the pediatrician. The advantage of role-playing games is that you can learn which rules apply in society. You can live out all emotions without sanctions and see the consequences without it actually becoming dangerous.

So it's definitely worth taking the time to play with the children and listen when it comes to describing feelings and emotions.