What Activities Can I do with My Toddler to Promote Optimal Social and Emotional Development?

Before we dive into the topic, we must first understand what social and emotional development is. The definition for social and emotional development varies slightly but overall it represents a person’s ability to be able to form positive relationships with others as well as controlling their emotions, behavior, and attitude.

The emotional ties that a child forms early on help shape the rest of the relationships they will have. The strong emotional attachment that a child and their parent have is vital for the child’s development. It has been proven in many case studies where children who suffer from neglect have delayed social, emotional, and cognitive development. For example in the study conducted by Farah et al. in 2008, they proved that there was a positive correlation between long-term memory performance and paternal nurturance (Jette Hannibal 75).

 A child who lacks the strong bond with their parent will be at risk for developing attachment issues and lowering their future mental health (Jette Hannibal 76).

Depending on the individual’s culture (and many other factors), the milestones set for each infant and toddler will be different. For this example we will be looking briefly at the milestones dictated for a 6 month infants, and a 3 year old toddler. For descriptions on the different milestones that 1, 1.5, and 2 year olds are expected to reach click on the provided link below.

At 6 months:

• ·        “Knows familiar faces and begins to know if someone is a stranger
• ·        Likes to play with others, especially parents
• ·        Responds to other people’s emotions and often seems happy
• ·        Likes to look at self in mirror” (Virtuallabschool).
•  
• At 3 years old:

• ·        “Copies adults and friends
• ·        Shows affection for friends without prompting
• ·        Shows concern for a crying friend
• ·        Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
• ·        Shows a wide range of emotions
• ·        Separates easily from Mom and Dad
• ·        May get upset with major changes in routine” (Virtuallabschool).

Based on the chart above we can see that an infant who is 6 months old compared to a toddler who is 3 years old is expected to meet far less complex milestones. As the child grows and learns they are expected to meet more complex milestones because they build on the existing ones.

Now that we understand the consequences of a lack of social and emotional connection for children we can move on to the type of activities one can do to promote the well-being and stimulate the development of this. We can see that a child's emotional and social development are linked, they happen simultaneously. 

As a parent, one of the most important things you can do is to spend quality time with your child, let your child know that they can express how they feel freely. If your child knows this they will feel more comfortable and safe with you, it will also create a stronger bond between each other. Expressing your own feelings with them will also be a positive experience that will be shared (granted that the feelings you are expressing are positive). Showing physical affection will also create a stronger attachment and support their emotional development.

Playing with your child and going on mini-field trips will also support their social and emotional development. Play dates with other children will teach children how to create bonds among peers, and strengthens their communication skills as well.

Outside resources:

“Social-Emotional Development: Infants And Toddlers.” Virtual Lab School, www.virtuallabschool.org/infants-toddlers/social-emotional/lesson-2.

Hannibal, Jette. Psychology for the IB Diploma. Oxford University Press, 2012.