Emotional and Social Development from 4-6

1. Emotional and Social Development from 4-6 Chapter 14 April 11- 15

2. Objectives • Summarized general patterns of emotional development in children 4, 5 and 6. • Describe ways preschoolers and children in kindergarten use their imagination. • Identify ways of responding to expressions of fear, jealousy and stress in children 3, 5 and 6. • Propose strategies for helping children gain self-confidence.

3. General Emotional Patterns- 4 year olds • Most 4’s are still quiet and self-centered. • They can be defiant, impatient, loud and obnoxious. • Some will say they are bossy, others are very loving and affectionate, because they seek the approval of parents and caregivers. • 4’s want to do things by themselves, such as washing and dressing.

4. General Emotional Patterns- 4 year olds • The vocabulary and language skills of 4’s shows a lot of improvement from toddler. • At this stage, children will test different sounds of language and making nonsense words. Ex. Antsy, wantsy, pantsy. • Children will also try rude and curse words to see what adults will say and react.

5. General Emotional Patterns- 5 year olds • By 5, children view themselves as a whole person, with a body, mind and feelings. They are eager to explore the larger world but at the same time, they are fearful of unfamiliar people, places and experiences. • Not all children will be ready for kindergarten. Some will have separation anxiety.

6. General Emotional Patterns- 5 year olds • It is important to help children cope with their anxieties by listening to their concerns and offering love and support. • Once children are in school, they will start sitting still, listening and focusing on tasks, they start learning to control their impulses.

7. General Emotional Patterns- 6 year olds • At 6, children will go through a period of emotional turmoil. They want to be grown up. • 6 year olds crave praise and approval and are easily hurt and discouraged. • They are often stubborn and they enjoy arguing. • They experience rapid mood changes.

8. General Emotional Patterns- 6 year olds • 6 year olds can enjoy music or dance lessons and organized sports. • Learning new skills builds a child’s sense of competence.

9. Self-Confidence • Self-confidence- belief in their own abilities. • Caregivers help build self-confidence by providing continuing opportunities for them to learn. • Children who feel self-confidence in turn develop initiative- a motivation to accomplish more.

10. Self-Confidence • If a project doesn’t the go right, the child may think he or she can’t do anything right. • It is important for children to feel more success than failure.

11. Anger • The expression of anger changes more during early childhood then the expression of any other emotions. • 4’s- an angry episode lasts longer than younger children. They may still use physical violence or they may threaten and attempt to get even.

12. Anger • 5’s are more likely to try to hurt other children’s feelings than to hurt them physically. • 6’s are even more hurtful with words. They these, insult, nag and make fun of others. • Frustration is a major cause of anger and a child’s tolerance for frustration generally increases with age.

13. Anger • Disagreements with other children are the most common cause of anger. • Occasionally, they will take their anger out on a scapegoat, such as a younger sibling , a pet or a toy. • Criticism can be a cause of anger, they do not like to be criticized.

14. Fear • Imagination is a major emotional force in children from 4-6 and many of their fears center on imaginary dangers. • They may be afraid of ghosts or monsters. • Many children are afraid of the dark. • Some worry about the possibility of being left alone or abandoned.

15. Fear • Accept the fear- Just listening and saying you understand can greatly help a fearful child. Never say that what the child fear doesn’t exist. It is very real to the child.

16. Fear • Let the child express the fear without ridicule- Children this age fear being made fun of. If they worry that they might be ridiculed, they may not be open about their fears.

17. Fear • Help the child feel able to face the fear- Use talking and action out to help the child learn to face the fearful situation. Reading a book together about another child who dealt with a similar fear might also help,

18. Jealousy • Sibling rivalry- jealousy of brothers and sisters- is common during this period. • Some parents make this worse, they may compare one child to another. Ex- a parent says why can’t you be near like your sister? I never have to tell her to put her toys away.

19. Jealousy • Children at this age sometimes express their feeling of jealousy by tattling, criticizing or lying. Some may feel jealous and react by boasting. • Parents and other caregivers can help children work through jealous feelings by encouraging cooperation and empathy. Ti is best to avoid taking sides and to give children a chance to practice working out their own problems.

20. Children and Stress • Children, just like everyone else experience stress or tension. • Children’s fears and worries may result in the mental or emotional strain of tension. • Children develop stomachaches, headaches and difficulty sleeping. They may cry, scream or through tantrums.

21. Children and Stress • Many preschoolers express tension by biting their nails, swinging their legs or grinding their teeth.

22. Children and Stress • Look for causes- Ask children showing signs of stress to draw pictures of themselves. Divorce- Death of an animal-

23. Children and Stress • Give children time to calm down. If tension boils over into a tantrum or uncontrollable crying, call for time out. Send the child to another room, not for punishment, but for a brief time to be alone and calm down.

24. Children and Stress • Read a book about the issue causing stress. There are books that deal with issues that can cause stress in children from moving to a new home to facing someone’s death.

25. Children and Stress • Maintain normal limits on behavior. Some parents ease up on rules because they want to make life easier for a child feel stress. Such approach can backfire, by confusing the child and cause additional stress and tension.

26. Encouragement • Preschoolers have reached a stage in which they can start to take initiative and make some decisions on their own. • According to psychologist Erik Erikson, those who are encouraged in these efforts gain self-confidence. • Repeated discouragement or punishment on the other hand, can lead to feelings of inferiority or inadequacy.

27. Encouragement • Show respect for the child. Express confidence in the child’s abilities. Offer the child choices whenever possible then show respect by going along with the child’s decision. * Do not say because I said so.

28. Encouragement • Offer honest praise and encouragement. Try to catch the child doing something right and then praise the action or accomplishment. Be specific- “I really appreciate it when you help clear the table after dinner”.

29. Encouragement • Set the preschooler up for success- Select activities that are challenging, but not overwhelming. Be sure they have the ability to perform a given task to avoid frustration of failure.

30. Encouragement • Avoid Stereotyping- Give boys and girls opportunities to develop a wide range of skills, from making breakfast to learning how to drive screws or pound nails.