Kindergarten Readiness – Social/Emotional Early Development

Valentine’s Day is all about emotions and social connections. But what comes the next day? How about some Tea For Two that will continue the social and emotional interaction? This is so important that doctors from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that babies be screened for social and emotional development as well as for physical health, ( Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben, Jan 2012).

Social and emotional are like 2 sides of the same coin: the social side for how we connect to others and the emotion side for how we manage our feelings. Maybe 2 sides of the same blanket would be more accurate because social and emotional are not separate but woven together. For babies this includes eye contact, babbling, smiling, and recognizing familiar faces.

Knowing basic emotions is part of early growth and kindergarten readiness and, like so many other skills, learning about them starts long before school does. Preschool, kindergarten and other groups of little ones will put some extra pressures on kids’ emotions so it’s helpful for if children know the names of feelings and have some experiences talking about them. Children also need to practice socializing and playing with others their own age. For a social/emotional activity could you share a few special minutes with your child today or have a friend of your child’s over for some playtime?

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