Preschool – Emotional Development

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoCaUnBiGGg

1. Erik Erikson: Initiative VS Guilt

INITIATIVE: is the decision and motivation to accomplish more tasks than expected or asked.

The desire to accomplish tasks is based on the child’s motivation and self-worth.Children supported in these efforts develop self-confidence

GUILT: Repeated discouragement/punishment may lead to feelings of guilt, inferiority, or inadequacy

*** Provide more opportunities for SUCCESS than FAILURE

Initiative VS GuiltInitiative

Encourage child to create and to try new things Teach them that mistakes do not make them bad, but this is how we learn. (miss take = try task again)

Allow and encourage a child’s ambitions, new abilities, ideas, and opinions. Let them do things on their own.

GuiltScold instead of encourage Get angry over mistakes Discourage them from risking Stop their actions because... Focus on failures Set rigid rules and restrictions Be little and ridicule Fail to praise and encourage their ideas and ambitions.

2. Emotional Development

A preschooler is gaining stronger inner self-control and self-management of emotions and can begin to relate to other’s emotions

FearsIn addition to imaginary dangers (such as ghosts, monsters, and robbers), a preschooler also has real fears of the dark, being left alone or abandoned, school, and loss of social acceptance.

Dealing with these Fears

►A caregiver can help a preschooler deal with these fears by....

Accept the child’s fears by listening and understanding, do not dismiss it Let the child express the fear without being ridiculed or made fun of Help the child feel able to face the fear: talking about it, acting it out, problem solve ways to handle the fear Taking appropriate actions, if the fear is justified, to remove the source

3. Imaginary FriendsImaginary friends are common in preschoolers. They show a very healthy and normal emotional and social development.

Social Development

Social Milestones3 Year Old

Takes turnsLikes to “help” in small waysResponds to verbal guidanceEnjoys being by othersWill talk to anyone

4 Year OldCooperative playHighly socialEnjoys others companyMay play loosely organized group games Talkative Willing to share

1. Preschoolers are peer-oriented. 2. They are enjoying new social skills and spending more time outside of the home playing with others their age. 3. As part of their new social skills, a preschooler is more able and willing to share.

Preschool Environment4. Preschool children can learn specific social skills in the preschool environment

Taking turnsSitting still for longer periodsRaising handsImproving manners

PLAY!5. Play is still a child’s work!6. Preschoolers continue to play in solitary, on-looker, and parallel play.7. They begin to engage in what is called cooperative play

Cooperative Play: where children play and interact with one another

8. EXAMPLE: building a sand castle together, playing store