EVERYTHING
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Health: Birth to 5
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The National Academy of Sciences reports that 60% of children enter school with the cognitive skills they need to be successful, but only 40% of children have the social and emotional skills needed to succeed in kindergarten. According to Alison Clarke-Stewart, professor of psychology behavior at UC Irvine, School of Social Ecology, “Helping your child develop socially and emotionally is so important to preparing your child for school. If your child can count to 100 and is already reading, but can’t listen to the teacher, follow class rules, make friends, and work and play cooperatively – they will have a rough time learning.” Children start developing their social and emotional “skills” far earlier than kindergarten. A very young child developing their social skills is learning to form and value relationships. Emotional skills go hand-in-hand with social skills, as children discover feelings they have about themselves, the people around them, and their environments. They are already developing self-esteem, expressing emotions, learning to manage behavior, and exploring. Babies begin developing socially and emotionally when you listen and respond to them. They learn to interact with others through interacting with you. When you respond to their cries by meeting their needs, look into their eyes, talk to them, and hold them close, you are teaching them about relationship: trust, love, and communication. Toddlers love to explore their world. They gain self-confidence when they are able to explore while feeling safe and secure, because you are close by. Establishing daily routines also brings a feeling of security for young children. Interaction with family members and other children their age helps children learn concepts of mine, yours, asking and listening. Through relationships, toddlers learn to share, cooperate, compromise and negotiate. Toddlers also start putting words to their feelings. Preschoolers are developing a more advanced set of social skills like conversation, following directions and rules, and taking turns. Your preschooler learns from you how to express opinions, to discuss and resolve conflicts, and to enjoy others’ company. Learning that their actions have consequences helps children to think ahead and manage their own behavior. You can help your child learn the skills to be ready to learn when they start school. Here are some ideas to get you started. Infants • Hold and cuddle your baby. • Listen when she babbles, and repeat the sounds back to her. • Place your baby in new locations and positions so he can observe his world from different perspectives. Toddlers • Play a game of funny faces with your child to describe emotions. Wearing a big smile, ask “Am I happy or sad?” Let your child have a turn making a face. • Play simple games that teach cause and effect – filling and dumping, hide-and-seek. Preschoolers • Help your child handle strong feelings by talking together, naming the emotions like frustration, anger, happiness. • Make up simple games that help your child learn to take turns and follow directions, (rolling or kicking a ball back and forth, following a simple obstacle course, playing “I Spy”). • Offer your child opportunities to be with other children of the same age and show them how to interact in positive ways. RESOURCES The Children and Families Commission of Orange County has developed a series of age-specific activities for parents and caregivers to do with children ages 0-5. These activities, called Kid Builders, are available online at occhildrenandfamilies.com, by clicking on Parent Resources, and then Kid Builders. |
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