Social Emotional Development and Self-Regulation skills at home

A child needs to feel supported both at school and at home. They need to know that they are safe and can have reliable, trusted adults in their environment. Children need to feel cared for and loved in all that they do. This information will help parents at home build that compassionate, trustworthy environment a child needs to grow and thrive developmentally. 

Self-Regulation tips for parents or caregivers at home

At home, children need to learn how to handle not only their emotions but their behaviors and how to calm themselves. 

From prenatal development to adolescence, children learn much of this from their environment. A child who begins life in a stable, home environment is more likely to manage their emotions more effectively than one who was born into a rough home. Either way, there are proactive steps parents or caregivers can take to help a child control what their brain and body is processing. 

  • Create a positive environment full of compassion and communication
  • Develop a safe space or room for the child to lay down or look at a book.
  • Have sensory toys or items on hand for your child to calm down or take a break from the current activity.
  • Provide choices for the child, for example asking do you want to color or go for walk with me or another adult?
  • Encourage morals and rules to establish respect and trust in the home. 
  • When a child is very upset, both of you start counting to ten and take deep breaths before making any other choices to establish a calming environment. 

**Tips to encourage social-emotional development

There are many ways a child can encourage their child socially and emotionally.

  • From infancy, a parent can talk and make noises with their child, engaging them and encouraging positive communication (CDC. 2023).
  • Parents can help build proper emotional and social development by smiling at them and reinforcing a positive environment for them to learn in (CDC. 2023).
  • As a child becomes older, establishing time for imaginative play and social interactions with siblings and peers builds on their development. 
  • A child can learn social and emotional skills at home by reading books, coloring and discussing what they read or colored. These books can include emotions and real-life situations. 
  • Finally, a parent can encourage outside play with siblings and peers and discuss with them rules and understanding other's perspectives.    

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