The Importance of Social Emotional Learning
Social and emotional learning (SEL) refers to development that affects relationships and social interactions. The focus of SEL is on helping children to manage their emotions and develop empathy for others. These are foundational skills for building relationships and helping children make responsible and caring decisions.
So, what can you do to support your child's SEL?
Children need strong models for social and emotional learning. When adults use self-talk when modeling kindness, good decision-making and empathy for others. children both observe this behavior and gain an understanding of why the behavior is being used.
Dramatic and pretend play are also rich opportunities to practice SEL. During pretend play, children can "try on" different roles and perspectives other than their own. This allows them to practice different situations when they are not feeling strong emotions.
Adults can help children navigate their emotions by giving them the vocabulary to talk about their feelings and suggestions for dealing with this emotion. For example, an adult could say, "I know it is upseting when your block tower fell. Would you like me to help you rebuild it?" Labeling your own emotions and pointing out emotions when reading books can also help children in identifying emotions.
A common misconception is that social-emotional skills develop naturally. While this may be true for some children and for some skills, this area of development should be given equal attention in the early years. Consequences of poor social emotional skills include low self-esteem, lack of impulse control, poor problem-solving skills and deficiency of empathy in other (Commmittee for Children, 2021). Children who have strong social-emotional skills are not only better at navigating social sitations, but benefit academically.
At the ECELP, we focus on children's holistic development and strive to create supportive environments to support SEL.
Best,
Cyndi
Executive Director
