Social Emotional Development

 Social Emotional Development in Young Children 

Supporting Parents in making a Home School Connection 

Second Step is a researched based curriculum that supports the Social Emotional Learning in young children. As a parent educator it is my responsibility to explain what is happening within the classroom surrounding the Second Step lessons and supporting parents as to see the benefits of incorporating the lessons and skills into their daily lives outside of the school walls. 

Instructional data, awakenings, reflection and next steps are listed below. 

• The use of problem solving skills or solution cards to allow children to find a solution to solve a social issue that they may encounter.
• Before winter break over 50% of the children in class were able to use the solution cards by pointing, bringing the card to a friend or allowing a teacher/parent to model the use of the cards in play situations. Parent report shows that 25% are able to use the home solution cards when they are available to them. 
• This is a jump from 25% of students using them in the classroom and under 10% using them at home in the previous check in at the beginning of December. 
• I know that after break I will need to reteach, remind and support both students and parents on the importance of a child solving their own problems as well as begin the teaching of identifying emotions. 

•  Identifying a variety of emotions and how they impact your bodies reactions, facial expressions and naming the emotions. 
• Identifying emotions is beginning in the classroom. No formal teaching has been done in this area in the parent education sessions. This will be the next step after break. 
• Calming strategies that can support a child when they are angry. 
• The calm down box, and calming tool kit have been a huge success in the classroom. When parents leave the classroom for parent education the children with separation issues are able to choose items out of the calming tool kit independently to calm their bodies. One student specifically enjoys the use of a liquid timer (photo below). Another child hides in the calm down box until his emotions are under control. A few students seek out the teachers and ask questions or state "Moms Come Back." Yet other children choose art activities or a familiar toy to calm themselves. 

Photo Credit: www.amazon.com 

• The parents are seeing the benefit of theses strategies listed above by observing their child in the two-way mirror from the parent education room. The discussions taking place between parents regarding how their child calms or what works for their child have been in depth. Several parents have identified they may try new ideas at home based on new strategies or ideas they have seen work with other children. 

I will continue to work with students and parents both in formal lessons and teachable moments. I will continue to make connections regarding social emotional development in the classroom and how to transfer those to the community or home environment. 

The Most Intelligent Humans on the Planet

When you think of the most intelligent human being on the planet who comes to mind? What characteristics of this person leads you to believe they are the most intelligent human on the planet?

What if someone challenged you by stating that children ages 2-7 are the most intelligent humans on the planet? 

I have taught students ranging from birth- fourth grade and adults in parenting education. I find that my passion is with children ages 2-3 years of age. Many people think I am off my rocker to find passion in a classroom of 14 toddlers. I will say that I don't claim to be a normal human being, which may help me in my passion for young children. :-)

I have always known, even before my formal education in early childhood, that there is something extra special about a toddler. The "light bulb" moments. The "Me Do!" mentality. The passion for exploring the world and mastering skills. The persistence and determination we could only dream of having in our adult workforce. There is just something extra special about toddlers and perhaps it is the speed of their brain development and literally seeing the connection of new learning when their eyes light up after accomplishing a task for the first time. 

There are several critical windows of opportunity in brain development that we cannot ignore when working with children. The first window of opportunity begins at the young age of two. Their brain fires off connections that are waiting to be wired. These connections are called synapses. The number of synapses at age two is the highest point in their entire life. Think about that. At age two children are firing off connections at the fastest rate in their life. How can this not be exciting?!  To think these little tiny human beings have only been alive for one or two summers and they are building a brain that will be the foundation for life! It is no wonder that I find my passion and groove teaching young children and their parents about this critically important stage in life.  

Then why does it feel like it is the "terrible" twos?

It feels terrible because it is EXHAUSTING! It is exhausting for the child, the parents and the caretakers. Young children are so very curious and they will explore all things life has to offer them in the environment they are provided. It is exhausting for the adults because they are challenged with providing a rich learning environment that is safe for them to explore. This takes a extreme amount of planning, being present and stimuli. 

Ways you can support the firing of synapses and encourage rapid brain development:

• Provide a Yes environment to explore
• Be present and engaged
• Take interest in and activity of their choice 
• Provide opportunity for independence 
• Allow for mistakes and support new learning
• Follow the child's lead 
• Let go of the adult determined end result 
• Provide a rich vocabulary 
• Engage in learning through natural play  

Those of you that know me as an educator know that I preach parents are the first and best educators for their child. This is why, in addition to my love for toddlers, I also love teaching parenting education. When I can reach parents, I can reach the child. It is a win-win for me. If there are any parents reading this that do not feel the power and importance of their role please be reminded that YOU are the most important human on the face of this earth to YOUR child. There is not another human that can replace you. Being present and engaged with your child is the best foundation in the world for your child to become the most intelligent human on the planet. 

I hope you enjoyed my take on humans. I based this blog post off my reflections from the article Why ages 2-7 Matter So Much for Brain Development by Rishi Sriram. I have included the article here. Please check it out and let me know what you think in the comments. 

PLAY!

Play! 

How often do we rush through our day moving from task to task without considering what is going on around us? Moving within our routines and daily activities day after day can be exhausting and many times we miss things that are right in front of us. 

Young children are born curious. 

When we have the blessing of young children in our lives we are often reminded to "stop and smell the flowers."  They point out all of the things in life that at times, we can take for granted. 

Think about a time you went on a walk with a child. They continuously point out all the things they see and hear. Young children rely on their five senses to teach them about the world around them. Does this happen when you walk alone or with another adult? Typically it does not. When we are with other adults we walk from point A to point B without noticing a squirrel in the tree or a spider walking across our path. When young children come into our lives and share these new found fascinations it can be both a blessing and at times frustrating. 

As the adult, we have the time and energy for these slow and curious walks when our agenda allows for it. Other times, we need to be at an appointment or drop a child off at school. Our agenda creates a source of frustration for a child that would love to stop and examine each bug they find along the way. Think about that for just a moment. 

The adults agenda has a significant impact on a child connecting with the world around them at any given time. 

Does this same thing happen when a child engages in play? Does the adults level of engagement, time, attention or agenda help or hinder children's growth and development during play? 

The answer is YES! 

Children learn about the world around them by exploring, using all of there senses, and engaging with their environment. Children spend their day with times of structured play and unstructured play. Structured play has a desired or specific outcome while unstructured play allows the child to use their imagination to engage in the materials available to them. Both are important in the brain development of young children and it is critical that adults offer both types of play to young children. 

The article Parents' Guide to Structured vs Unstructured Play ( Pathways.org) offers parents a brief overview on the importance of both types of play.