LESSON 2: The Young Child’s Social and

Emotional Development

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Discuss young child’s social and emotional development.

2. Define the importance of the stages of development in child’s learning process.
3. Explain how young child’s development affects in the actual classroom setting.

Introductory Activity:
Situational Analysis

Read and analyze the situation below.

Ron is 6 years old while Ren is 3 years old. One day, Ron saw Ren holding a ball, he
grabbed the ball and said, “Come on Ren! Let’s play basketball.” Ren was surprised and tried to
grab back the ball. Ren couldn’t get the ball back because it’s too high for him, then he started
to cry. Ron immediately asked Ren, “Why are you crying? Don’t you like to play with me?” Ren
answered, “ I want to play but please give me back my ball”. Without saying anything, Ron gave
the ball back to Ren and they enjoyed playing together.

Analysis

1. What will happen if Ron won’t give back the ball to Ren?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Why do you think Ron grabbed the ball without asking permission?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. How do you describe their friendship?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

41
 ABSTRACTION

Child development experts have carried out a lot of research on young children to work
out what most children can do at different ages and the rate at which they grow. Social,
emotional and moral development is a child’s ability to understand the feelings of others,
control his or her own feelings and behaviors, get along with other children, and build
relationships with adults. A child's positive relationship with trusting and caring adults is the key
to successful emotional, moral and social development. Young children who exhibit healthy
social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment are more likely to have good academic
performance in elementary school (Cohen and others 2005; Zero to Three 2004).

According to Piaget’s (1932) the tremendous amount of social, emotional and moral
development takes place during early childhood. As kids experience temper tantrums, mood
swings, and an expanding social world, they must learn more about their emotions as well as
those of other people. We should expect children’s emerging understanding of mind and
emotions to influence their moral development. Indeed, a prime consideration in early
developmental theory of moral judgment was the extent to which children come to appreciate
that others’ perspectives may differ from their own.

Children’s social, emotional and moral development lives through which they acquire the
standards, values, and knowledge of their society, and that of personality formation, through
which they develop their own unique patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving in a wide variety
of situations). Researchers and practitioners have described key social-emotional skills that
young children need as they enter school, including self-confidence, the capacity to develop
positive relationships with peers and adults, concentration and persistence on challenging tasks,
an ability to effectively communicate emotions, an ability to listen to instructions and be
attentive, and skills in solving social problems (Shonkoff and Philips 2000).

Denham (1986) states that during early childhood, children make great strides in their
capacities to appreciate both emotional and cognitive states. Young children are increasingly
able to understand others’ mental states and become aware that individuals have a responsibility
for regulating social relations. They also increasingly display their own ways of thinking and
feeling. Child development specialists across multiple disciplines acknowledge the importance of
positive social emotional and moral development to overall child well-being and the subject
continues to gain prominence in public discourse (American Academy of Pediatrics, n.d., Cooper
et al., 2009, Isakson et al., 2009).

42
 Application:

1. What are the different views of social, emotional and moral development?

2. Observe preschoolers in action and as a teacher, how can you use the different concepts
of social, emotional, and moral development to help solve classroom problems?

Social Development
Situational Analysis

Read and analyze the situation below.

Mrs. Ann is a kindergarten teacher. Every after the class, she allows her students playing
inside the classroom while waiting for their parents to fetch them. She always observes Nika
who is silent and just sitting beside while watching at her classmates playing around. So, she
asks Nika “Would you like to play with them?” Nika did not say anything but she just jiggled.
Mrs. Ann told the group to let Nika join with them. The children welcome Nika and they enjoy
playing together.

43
 1. How do you describe Nika’s personality?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2. Why do you think Nika behaved that way?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

3. If you are Mrs. Ann, will you do the same? Why?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Abstraction:

According to Erik Erikson (1902-1994) that personality develops in a predetermined

order through eight stages of psychosocial development, from infancy to adulthood. He
presented these crises as eight stages of psychosocial conflicts, often known as Erik Erikson’s
stages of psychosocial development.

Social development refers to the process by which a child learns to interact with others
around them. As they develop and perceive their own individuality within their community, they
also gain skills to communicate with other people and process their actions. The social skills
helps young children feel more confident and competent in developing relationships, building
friendships and resolving conflicts (Parlakian 2003).

During play, children increase their social competence by interacting with other
children. Play helps children practice their communication skills as they negotiate roles and
appreciate others’ feelings. Psychologists find that children who act in antisocial ways are less
likely to be accepted by classmates and teachers (Kupersmidt & Coie, 1990; Shores & Wehby,
1999).

The social skills helps young children feel more confident and competent in developing
relationships, building friendships and resolving conflicts (Parlakian 2003). Child's social development
may be more difficult to track than his physical development, but it is equally important because it

44
affects his self-esteem and relationship skills throughout his life. As young children continue to develop
socially with peers, they often enter a stage of rough and tumble play which includes running, racing,
climbing, or competitive games. Often, this is the stage when social skills such as learning to take turns
and follow simple group rules and norms are practiced. Recent research suggests that infants’ and
toddlers’ social understanding is related to how often they experience adult communication about the
thoughts and emotions of others (Taumoepeau and Ruffman 2008).

Application:

1. How can you improve child’s social development?

____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

2. What is the role of school in the child’s social development? ________________________________

________________________________
________________________________

3. As a teacher, what activities can you suggest particularly for preschool children that promote social
development?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

45
Emotional Development

Activity:

Situational Analysis

Read and analyze the situation below.

Mrs. Thea has a 5-year-old daughter named Roxanne. It was Sunday and it’s a mall time.
In the mall, Roxanne’s favorite place is the Toy’s store. While they were in the store, Roxanne
didn’t want to go out without buying one for her. Mrs. Thea explained to Roxane that only next
time because they had just bought one yesterday. Roxanne cried and insisted to her mom to buy
a new one. But Mrs. Thea was firmed and kept on explaining why not to buy at this time? But
Roxanne was so hard and started to scream. Thea still clarified until she convinced Roxanne to
just buy an ice cream instead of toys. Fortunately, Roxanne agreed and she told her mom to
purchase a toy only on the next mall visit.

Analysis

1. How do you describe Roxanne’s behavior as a five-year old?

2. How do you describe Mrs. Thea as a mother?

3. Why do you think Mrs. Thea insisted even Roxanne started to cry?

4. Why do you think Roxanne agreed to her mother?

46
Abstraction:

Emotional development is learning to recognize and express feelings. Young children’s expression
of positive and negative emotions may play a significant role in their development of social relationships.
Positive emotions appeal to social partners and seem to enable relationships to form, while problematic
management or expression of negative emotions leads to difficulty in social relationships (Denham and
Weissberg 2004).

Emotions are also crucial to how young children understand themselves. Although
developmental scientists used to believe that young children perceive themselves primarily in terms of
their physical characteristics and what they can do. Young children’s increasing understanding and skill
in the use of language is of vital importance in their emotional development, opening new avenues for
communicating about and regulating emotions (Campos, Frankel, and Camras 2004).

Cohen (2005) states that emotional development includes the child's experience, expression,
and management of emotions and the ability to establish positive and rewarding relationships with
others. Understanding emotions in this way helps explain why we are so sensitive to the emotional
expressions of others, and how emotions function in development. It is important to the growth of
social competence, especially as children develop significant networks of peer relationships. Children
have always been viewed as emotional in nature, with emotions accounting for children’s exuberance,
carefreeness, irrationality, disorganization, or at times their disturbing behavior. This is one reason why
emotional self-control is traditionally viewed as a mark of growing maturity.

Denham, Zoller, and Couchoud (1994) have emphasized the importance of the parents'
socialization of emotion in the child's development of emotional understanding. Emotional or behavioral
problems in young children are linked to health and behavioral problems in adolescence, including
school dropout and juvenile delinquency (Brauner & Stephens, 2006). The development of emotional
competence skills is a developmental process such that a particular skill manifests differently at different
ages. With young children, emotion knowledge is more concrete, with heightened focus on observable
factors. Young children’s emotion expression and emotion regulation are less well-developed, requiring
more support and reinforcement from the social environment.

47
Application:

Task to do:

1. As a teacher, what steps do you take to assist children who engage in

chronic aggressive behavior?

2. How does play affect the child's emotional development?

3. How can you promote social development in the classroom?

48
49