Social and Emotional Development

P/B • 180mm x 252mm • 168 pages
ISBN 9781933653303

Connecting Science and Practice in Early Childhood Settings

Children in child care centres often spend large amounts of time on activities without an obvious academic component, such as learning to dance to music of different tempos. Research shows however, that these common early childhood program practices which educators often intuitively do, promote children’s social and emotional development. This practical and accessible book explains how research shows the effectiveness of such activities and helps teachers answer the question Why we do what we do?
Throughout the book there are Practice Tips that offer practical guidance for working with young children based on scientific research. Each chapter contains vignettes that highlight promising as well as mistaken practices. The book also contains a number of sample letters to parents and useful tables including stages in the developments of attachment and stages in the development of peer play.

Key topics include:
– How to help children form a strong attachment with an adult and foster a feeling of security.
-The importance of peer relationships and how to help children learn to take turns, develop empathy, and not act selfishly.
-Three forms of self-regulation: controlling impulsive behaviour, developing problem-solving ability, and learning to regulate emotions.

Content

Introduction

Chapter 1 Why We Hold a Crying Baby: Attachment and Exploration

Chapter 2 Why We Talk about How the Bunny Feels: Friendship and Prosocial Behaviour

Chapter 3 Why We Play Simon Says: Learning Self-Regulation

Chapter 4 Why We Keep a Pot of Coffee: Family-Centered Care and Education

Chapter 5 Why We Do What We Do for Childrens Social Development: Explaining Your Program Practices in Terms of State Early Learning Standards

Notes

Index