For young children to be socially and emotionally healthy, they must be able to:
a. Establish safe connections
b. Feel and control your feelings
c. Investigate and educate yourselfChildren’s learning depends critically on their ability to regulate their emotions and maintain good social-emotional health. Children with strong social and emotional abilities can interact well with peers and teachers in the classroom and build positive relationships.
In contrast to their classmates, kids who are emotionally and socially stable and demonstrate self-control:
Possess superior oral language acquisition and abilities.
Possess greater social skills and less behavioural issues.
Are more prosperous in elementary and upper education.
Possess greater bodily well-being.
Possess greater lifelong work prospects and income.
Compared to their peers, boys and kids from low-income households are more likely to be perceived as having poor self-regulation abilities.
How Can We Address It?
What promotes the social and emotional well-being of kids?
a. Bonds of support and care with parents, carers, and other adults they come into contact with on a regular basis.
b. Early and routine tests, evaluations, and action when necessary.
c. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programmes and practices in schools. Caring, Supportive Relationships
The basis for a child’s social-emotional development is laid by their relationships with their parents and other key carers. These connections start at birth. Early children acquire social standards, emotional regulation, empathy, trust in others, and interpersonal skills through positive back-and-forth parent-child interactions, also known as serve and return. Young children’s social and emotional development might be hampered by interactions between parents and their maltreated, unresponsive, or violent behaviour.
Evaluations, Screenings, and Interventions
Young children require the following to guarantee the early identification and treatment of social-emotional health needs:
a. Early and frequent assessments of social and emotional well-being. This straightforward parent questionnaire or checklist helps identify newborns and early children who could be at risk for social-emotional health issues.
b. Thorough evaluations: This is a more thorough method of compiling data about a child over time from a variety of sources and environments (parents, teachers, etc.).A thorough assessment should be given to children whose screening results indicate they are at risk.
c. Efficient medical care: Treatment can frequently lessen or completely eradicate upcoming social-emotional health issues, such as depression, behaviour disorders, or attention issues, if an assessment deems it necessary. After the age of eight, it could be harder to address behavioural and social-emotional difficulties in young children if intervention is not received.
Practices and Programmes for Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Child care, preschool, and elementary schools that encourage the ongoing development of children’s social skills, emotional competence, empathy, and self-regulation can support and strengthen the social-emotional health of young children. Students who engaged in evidence-based SEL programmes outperformed their peers in academic success by 11%, according to a recent meta-analysis of 213 research. Students that received SEL had better classroom conduct, more stress and depression management skills, and improved attitudes towards others, themselves, and the school.
The Pathways Action Framework was co-created by the Pathways to Grade-Level Reading Design Teams, with a particular emphasis on three areas that have a direct bearing on third grade reading proficiency:
a. Mental and social well-being.
b. Excellent prenatal through eighth-grade medical care and education.
c. Regular attendance at school.