Square One. . .
This area of development involves learning to interact with other people and to understand and control your own emotions. Babies start to develop relationships with the people around them right from birth, but the process of learning to communicate, share, and interact with others takes many years to develop. Developing the ability to control your emotions and behavior is also a long process. Children continue to develop their social-emotional skills well into their teenage years, or even young adulthood.
Know Your Baby!
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Each child is an unique individual. You know your child the best. Some children are quiet and relaxed, while others are very active and non-stop movers. It is important to know your child's temperament because it helps them build their social-emotional skills. It is a parents or caregivers job, to be educators in teaching children the skills in order to understand their emotions, handle conflicts, problem solve, develop relationships, and communicate with peers and adults(Lightfoot, Cole, & Cole, 2013). Parents and caregivers who provide a nurturing and loving environments full of language and hands on experiences will foster all areas of development (Lightfoot, Cole, & Cole, 2013).
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Social-emotional development starts as an infant and the skills continue to build upon one another as the child grows (Lightfoot, Cole, & Cole, 2013). From the moment a baby is born, a parent creates a bond with their child. The way a parent reacts to their child's needs helps build social connections and how a parent or caregiver tends to their needs forms trust and security between the parent/caregiver and child (Lightfoot, Cole, & Cole, 2013). As a child figures out how to self-soothe, they still need a parent to calm them down. Babies are born with little self-control, in which they act and react naturally without the ability to stop themselves (Lightfoot, Cole, & Cole, 2013). Guidance from caregivers and or parents will help them begin to manage their emotions and behaviors.
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Attachment
Many objects and strangers can often be exciting to young children and babies, but can also cause them to be wary. It is important obtain a balance between interest and fear as infants continue to explore and learn about the world. Attachment is universal feature of development and is a key element of the process of the emotional bond between the child and caregiver. When attachments are formed, young infants learn that they can depend on their primary caregivers to make them feel better (Lightfoot, Cole, & Cole, 2013). The quality of attachment depends on the caregiver/parent.
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Signs of Attachment
Causes of Attachment
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Why Does Attachment Occur?
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John Bowlby's Ethological Explanation: Bowlby's theory of attachment arose from his study of the mental health problems of British children who had been separated from their families during WWII. According to his studies, John Bowlby believes that children who are first separated from their mothers become frantic with fear. They tend to cry, throw tantrums, and try to escape their surroundings and soon go through a stage of despair and depression. If the separation continues, a stable relationship will not be established and the child soon become indifferent to other people, which is known as a state of indifference called detachment (Lightfoot, Cole, & Cole, 2013).
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Reference's
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Cole, M., Cole, S., & Lightfoot, C. (2013). The Development Of Children (7th ed.). New York, New York: Worth.
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