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How important is physical development in a growing child is well-understood but what about his social and emotional well-being? TCT gives you an insight into social development in toddlers (children below the age of 3 years).
When babies begin to walk, learn to talk, or grow taller, it catches everyone’s attention. However, when they engage in sharing and forming new friendships, this aspect often goes unnoticed. The emotional dimension of development pertains to a child’s comprehension and management of internal emotions while navigating external social dynamics in interactions with others and family members.
Allowing healthy emotional and social development in children results in:
- Building new relationships
- Self-regulating conduct and tackling conflicts
- Learning patience and cooperation
- Monitoring feelings
All of the above and more like these are the building blocks of healthy social-emotional development. Children can be taught these skills over time in a step by step manner like other skills. Before you go on to know how you can support your toddler’s social development in a healthier way, read what –Saakshi Kapoor, a practicing child psychologist, has to say about it.
“Like everything else, social development in children is always a balance between nature and nurture. While some children are born with an innate tendency to engage with their social domain with ease, others benefit more from a stimulus provided by the care givers. As parents, our prerogative is to foremost recognize and accept the social nature of our children and then nurture them in accordance.
For toddlers, socialization typically starts at home, and they are often highly sensitive to their surroundings. It is believed that if a parent tends to be distrustful of strangers, the child is likely to develop a similar disposition. There’s a distinction between compelling social growth and nurturing it. Consistently observing your toddler can aid in discerning the type of social creature your child is becoming.
Kapoor adds, “At this age, children are still learning emotions but even then, it is important as a parent to not be too quick to label your child’s feelings. What you might think of as anger might be something as simple as boredom. In terms of emotions, it is a good idea to let your child express it first and then go on to ask them what it was that they were feeling.”
1. Exploring objects with adults
By exploring toys and other objects around them, babies develop various skills. Let them explore and play, and offer only that much help where they don’t end up getting irritated.
- If your toddler has just turned a year old and has started exploring objects then you can offer him your support. For this, you might position a toy near the baby’s reach so that he doesn’t have to roll over to grab it. In other instances, you can show joy when a baby discovers something.
- For babies who are now a bit older and have started playing with toys like blocks and different shapes, you can offer support by guiding them to solve and complete the challenges on their own. For example, if a baby attempts to drop blocks through variously shaped holes, you can assist by guiding their hand over the shapes and allowing them to finish the task independently. This approach will foster their problem-solving skills. Similarly, when your baby endeavors to fix their blocks or other toys, express encouragement and appreciation. This will cultivate in them a sense of patience and determination.
2. Interaction with other kids of their age
Encourage your kid to make friends at an early stage. It is with practice that kids learn to share, show patience to take turns and peacefully resolve their conflicts.
- Provide a variety of activities and a safe environment so that your kid can play comfortably with his friends. Include activities where kids don’t need to share anything such as arts (drawing, painting), music (everyone has a separate instrument), water or sand. This will limit the number of conflicts.
- Help your toddler understand other’s feelings. For example: Did you tell Greg that he can’t play with the ball. Look, he looks so sad. Would you like it if he said the same thing to you?
3. Emotional Skills
As your toddler develops, they begin to recognize a variety of intricate emotions like jealousy, shame, and embarrassment. Aid them in comprehending these emotions by articulating them with precise vocabulary. The more words a child acquires, the simpler it becomes for them to articulate their feelings. For example: Are you feeling sad that you couldn’t go the playground today? OR Don’t feel jealous that Ted got a strawberry cupcake. It’s okay, you can take the chocolate one.
- Feelings can also be taught through play. You can narrate him a story using puppets and include typical emotions like anger and fear. You can encourage him to draw a smiling face when he is happy and sad face when he is feeling low.
- There are kid’s picture books available in the market that talks about feelings. Use these books and ask your child to identify the emotions.
- Besides the teaching techniques, allow your kid to display strong emotions in acceptable ways such as stomping feet, ripping paper, when he is extremely angry. This will help your little one to understand the healthy ways to express feelings.
