Simply put, socio-emotional

development has something to do with

the development of a person’s ability to

master one’s emotions and the ability to

relate to others. It necessarily includes

temperament, attachments and social

skills.

Much has been said about the

importance of the first three years in

human development. They are so-called

the formative years that is why, parents

and other caregivers at this stage of

human development play a significant

role in the development of infants and

toddlers.

For healthy socio-emotional development, the infant needs to establish an enduring emotional bond characterized by a tendency to seek and maintain closeness to a specific figure, particularly during stressful situation. This is the social phenomenon of attachment.

According to Dr. John Bowly, the father of attachment theory, the beginnings, of attachment occur within the first 6 months of a baby’s life with a variety of built-in signals that baby uses to keep her caregiver engaged.

The baby cries, gazed into her mother’s eyes,

smiles, etc. In the next few moths , the baby

develops in her degree of attachment to her

parents. She smiles more freely at them than

at any stranger whom she seldom sees.

The key to a good start in the social

development of the baby is a lot of

responsive interaction with the baby. Babies

thrive on social interaction when it is in

response to their social bids. Babies seem to

let us know when they want to interact or not.

The timing of the caregiver’s response to the

baby is important.

Infants attach to more than one caregiver and they are developing emotional relationships with multiple caregivers at once.

Even when a children are in child care for more than 30 hours per week, the family contributes more to child’s social and cognitive well-being than does the child care arrangement. Parents matter and children are attached to a parents even when children are in child care.

Parents and caregivers help children regulate their emotions by working with them and by serving as their models.

1. Another factor to the infant’s socio-emotional development is temperament. Temperament is a word that “ captures the ways that people differ, even at birth, in such things as their emotional reactions, activity level, attention span, persistence, and ability to regulate their emotions” (K. Pasek and R. Golinkoff, 2003). Every baby expresses personality traits we call temperament. How a child responds emotionally to objects, events, and people is a reflection of his individual temperament.

2. Researchers Thomas, Chess, and Birch described

nine different temperament categories: Nurturing

Infant- Toddler Attachments in Early Care Setting.

These Include:

*Activity level

*Mood

*Threshold for distress

*Rhythmicity

*Intensity of response

*Approach-Withdrawal

*Distractibility

*Adaptability

*Persistence

To determine a child’s temperament, make the

following observations:

Activity level. Some babies are placid or

inactive. Other babies thrash about a lot and, as

toddlers, are always on the move. At this stage,

they must be watches carefully.

The mood. Some babies are very smiley

and cheerful. Although securely attached

emotionally to their teachers, others have a low-

key mood and look more solemn or unhappy.

Child’s threshold for distress. Some babies

are very sensitive. They become upset very

easily when stressed. Other babies can more

comfortably wait when they need a feeding or

some attention.

The rhythmicity of children. Some babies get hungry or sleepy on a fairly regular and predictable basis. Other babies sleep at varying times, urinate or have bowel movements at unpredictable times, and get hungry at different times. They are hard to put on a “schedule”

The intensity of response in each baby. When a baby’s threshold for distress has been reached, some babies act restless. Other act cranky or fret just a little.

Approach to new situations. Some infants are very cautious. They wary and fearful of new teachers, being placed in a different crib, or being taken to visit a new setting. Other infants approach new persons, new activities, or new play possibilities with zest and enjoyment.

Distraction. Some children can

concentrate on a toy regardless of

surrounding bustle or noise in a room. Others

are easily destructed.

Adaptability of each child. Some children

react to strange or difficult situations with

distress, but recover fairly rapidly. Others

adjust to new situations with difficulty or after

a very long period.

Child’s attention span. Some children have

a long attention span. They continue with an

activity for fairly long time. Others flit from one

activity to another.

Based on these temperament traits,

psychiatrist Alexander Thomas and Stella

chess studied babies’ temperament and

clustered temperaments into 3 basic

types: 1) the easy child; 2) the difficult

child: and 3) the slow-to-warm –up child

and those that did not fall under any of

the 3 basic types.

It is not then surprising why some babies

show their parents they have done

something wrong sometimes even with

laughter or at other times with no

particular emotion. It is not because they

are bad babies. It is simply because they

are not yet able to hold a standard in

mind and evaluate situations in terms of

these standards.

Early infancy (birth-six months)

It is not clear whether infants actually experience emotion’s, or if adults, using adult facial expressions as the standard, simply superimpose their own understanding of the meaning of infant facial expressions.

Between six and ten weeks, a social smiles emerges, usually accompanied by other pleasure –indicative actions and sounds, including cooing and mouthing. This social smiles occurs in response to adult smiles and interaction.

As infants become more aware of their

environment, smiling occurs in response to a

wider variety of contexts. They may smile

when they see a toy they have previously

enjoyed. Laughter, which begins at around

three or four months, requires a level of

cognitive development because it

demonstrates that the child can recognize

incongruity. That is, laughter is usually elicited

by actions that deviate from the norm, such

as being kissed on the abdomen or a

caregiver playing peek-a-boo. Because it

fosters reciprocal interactions with others,

laughter promotes social development.

Later infancy months (7-12)

During the last half of the first year, infants begin expressing fear, disgust and anger because of the maturation of cognitive abilities. Anger, often expressed by crying, is a frequent emotion expressed by infants. Although some infants respond to distressing events with sadness, anger is more common.

Fear also emerge during this stage as children become able to compare an unfamiliar event with what they know. Unfamiliar situations or objects often elicit fear responses in infants. One of the most common is the presence of an adult stranger, a fear that begins to appear at about seven months.

A second fear of this stage called separation

anxiety. Infants seven to twelve months old

may cry in fear if the mother or caregiver

leaves them in an unfamiliar place.

Socialization of emotion begins in infancy. It is

thought that this process is significant in the

infant’s acquisition of cultural and social

codes for emotional display, teaching them

how to express their emotions, and the

degree of acceptability associated with

different types of emotional behaviors.

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to

condemn…

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight…

If a child lives with fear, he learns to be

apprehensive…

If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry

for himself…

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be

shy…

If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel

guilt…

But…

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient…

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident…If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative…If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love…If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is…If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice…If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and in those about him…If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in which to live.

What Infants and Toddlers can do socio-emotionally?

Domain: Social and Emotional Development

SUB-DOMAIN: EMOTIONAL (EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION)

Standards 1.1: The child expresses different basic emotions.

Based on your experience, are these indicators

generally observed on and/or performed by a

child on the specified age?

0-6 months

Cries in different ways to express different needs (e.g., hungry, sleepy, wet)

Show excitement or pleasure by moving arms, kicking, moving the entire body and the face lighting up

Smiles or laughs response to a pleasant experience (e.g., caregiver singing to him/her)

Amuses self simple repetitive muscle movements without objects (e.g., rolling back and forth)

Amuses self simple repetitive muscle movements with objects (e.g., shaking, rattle)

Likes playing with water

Enjoys going to the park

Shows fear and hesitation towards unfamiliar person

7-12 months

Has a favorite toy

13-18 months

Smiles/laughs when happy or amused

Cries when sad, angry or scared

Shows varying degrees or intensities of various emotions

Standards 1.2: The child demonstrates ability to self-regulate feelings/emotions and follows schedules as well as rules and regulations.

0-6 months

Stops crying almost immediately when need is met

Eventually gets used to an irritating experience (e.g., honking horn) and calms down

13-18 months

Able to stop an undesirable behavior or activity when instructed to do so (e.g., going out to street)

Can calm down or stop tantrum with help from adults

Can follow simple rules

19-24 months

Can wait his/her turn

Shows ability to contain his/ her expression of anger or frustration when source is removed

Shows ability to contain one’s expression of anger or frustration in a public place when asked by parent/caregiver

Tries to control his tears when in pain or scared

standards 1.3: The child comprehends and displays

self-appraisal emotions (shame, pride, guilt).

7-12 months

Smiles or claps his/her hands when he/she displays a learned behavior (e.g., close-open)

13-18 months

Recognizes and is able to label self-appraisal emotions such as shame, pride, envy, jealously

Will do something that gets him/her praised (e.g., doing a task properly, singing etc.)

19-24 months

Shows interest in doing things that are his/her own creation

Says “sorry” when he/she has made a mistake or has hurt someone

From Birth to 3 Months

During the first three months, babies are actively

learning about themselves and the people around

them. Part of this skill-building involves:

Looking at their own hands and sucking on fingers

Looking at the part of their body that a parents or

caregiver is touching

Understanding how the legs and arms are

attached

Realizing that they are separate beings from those

around them

Learning to be comforted and soothed by adults

Enjoying social stimulation and smiling at people

Responding to touch

From 3 to 6 Months

Social interaction becomes increasingly

important. During this period of

development, most babies begin to:

Respond when their name is said

Smile

Laugh

Play peek-a-boo

From 6 to 9 Months

As babies get older, they may begin to show a preference for familiar people. Between the ages of six to nine months, most children can:

Express a number of emotions including happiness, sadness, fear, and anger

Distinguish between familiar family and friends and strangers

Show frustration when a toy is taken away

Respond to spoken words and gestures

From 9 to 12 Months

As children become more social, they

often begin to mimic the actions of others.

Self-regulation also becomes increasingly

important at the child approaches one

year of age. Most kids can:

Hold a cup and drink with help

Imitate simple actions

Feed themselves small bites of food

Express anxiety when separated from

parents or caregivers

From 1 to 2 Years

From the age of one to two years, kids often

spend more time interacting with a wider range

of people. They also start to gain a greater sense

of self-awareness. At this stage, most can:

Recognize their own image in the mirror

Initiate play activities

Play independently, often imitating adult actions

Act pleased when the accomplish something

Start trying to help, often by putting toys away

Express negative emotions including anger and

frustration

Become more self-assertive and may try to direct

the actions of others

From 2 to 3 Years

During the toddler years, kids become more and

more creative and confident. At two years old,

most kids begin to:

Become aware that they are a boy or girl

Begin to dress and undress themselves

Demonstrate personal preferences about toys,

food, and activities

Start saying "No" to adults

Enjoy watching and playing with other children

Become defensive about their own possessions

Use objects symbolically during play

Often have rapid changes in mood

From 3 to 4 Years

Because three-year-olds are becoming

increasingly able to perform physical actions,

their sense of confidence and independence

becomes more pronounced at this age.

During the third year, most children begin to:

Follow directions

Perform some tasks with little or no assistance

Share toys with other kids

Make up games and ask other children to join

in

Begin engaging in pretend play