Social-Emotional Development of the ToddlerUnit 3

Casey Study – “Emily”As she has become a toddler, Emily has

begun to prefer her family members over strangers. She is quite attached to her yellow, fuzzy blanket, too. Emily wants to cuddle with her blanket at naptime when she is tired. Emily’s father has found it harder to part form Emily at the child care center each morning. She cries and clings to his leg as he’s leaving. The teachers say Emily keeps crying for more than an hour after he leaves. Emily’s father is unsure what to do to make mornings easier for her.

Case Study Questions

1. Does Emily’s crying sound typical or like something more serious? Explain.

2. What would you suggest to Emily’s dad and her caregivers to help Emily adjust better to partings at the child care center?

•As babies become toddlers, two things happen:1. Toddlers find out more about their world

and themselves as individuals

2. Toddlers find the world is not solely devoted to meeting their needs

Self-Awareness

•Through fast growing skills that influence the toddlers’ relationships with others and through their reactions to them, toddlers see and understand themselves!▫They can move around by themselves▫Reach objects▫Beginning to talk

Self Awareness

•Toddlers become aware of:▫How they look▫What belongs (and what doesn’t) to them▫What they can and cannot do▫Other’s feelings towards them

They realize they can be praised, let down and hurt emotionally by others

Achieving Autonomy•Autonomy = a form of self-control in which

a toddler seeks to do his or her own will

•Erik Erikson’s second stage of development = Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

•Erikson explained autonomy as the toddler’s feeling of being able to do some tasks without help from others

•What is an example of autonomy?

Autonomy

•Although toddlers want to be independent they can misjudge their skills!▫Parents/Caregivers need to set limits

Provide safe choices Redirect before a forbidden or unsafe action

Extending Social Relations

•Toddlers with a healthy attachment to caregivers have a safe base from which to meet people.▫Babysitters▫Relatives▫Neighbors▫Other Children

Extending Social Relations•Other Children

▫First interactions will be brief▫They will imitate each other’s actions▫Later, they will talk as they play▫Children are possessive of their toys/belongings▫They learn to share

They may return a snatched toy if the owner cries▫They learn to show affection to other children

They praise other children or show concern for a hurt child.

Self Esteem

•Self-esteem = Feeling good about yourself and what you can do!

•Building self-esteem:▫Toddlers enjoy hearing their names▫Seeing themselves in mirrors▫Caring adults who make them feel loved

even when they are difficult or make mistakes

Emotions•Toddlers react to more stimuli than infants•They know more people to love, experience

more things and people to fear, have more things to make them anxious and find more to anger them!

•Toddlers can better sense emotions in others•They can detect fear in adults•They respond to emotions of other children

Emotions

•Their increased motor skills allow them more physical responses▫Running or hiding when afraid,

hitting/kicking when angry•Their ability to imagine increases

▫Fear of the dark or monsters•Toddlers cannot separate what is real and

what is pretend

Common Toddler Emotions

•Affection•Fear•Anxiety•Anger

Affection

•Attached to caregivers▫Express affection through

Close proximity Hugs and Kisses

•Attachment to beloved toys/belongings

Fear•They imagine things that do not exist•Toddlers may fear:

▫Monsters▫Animals▫Darkness▫Nightmares▫“Bad people”▫Injury▫Gestures▫Startling noises

How should adults handle these fears?•Handle these fears in a matter-of-fact way•Never tease toddlers about their fears•Never push toddlers into scary situations•Keep them from watching too much

television•Comfort them when needed

Anxiety

•Separation Anxiety continues into the toddler stage and sometimes beyond.

•Many overcome SA because they feel a caregiver’s love and know they will return!

•Increased language skill helps toddlers understand why parents sometimes leave.

Anxiety

•Nightmares may begin around age 2▫A nightmare is a toddler’s way of dealing

with anxiety. ▫Nightmares stem from fear of being left

alone, getting hurt, or angering adults. ▫Nightmares tend to decrease in time.

Anger•Toddlers have a desire for more

independence and have a strong will. •Temper Tantrums = Sudden emotional

outbursts of anger commonly displayed by toddlers. ▫Lie on the floor, kick, and scream▫Happens because something doesn’t go their

way▫Purpose is to seek attention

Ignoring may cause the child to stop After the tantrum is over, give the toddler love

and reassurance

Writing Activity

•Some people refer to the toddler years as the “terrible twos.” Write an essay explaining why people use this term to describe toddlers. Also discuss why this term is incorrect.