What is Social Emotional Learning?

A child’s earliest years are some of the most critical years of their life. Research shows that a child’s brain develops more between birth and five years old than at any other stage of life.

Attending a high-quality preschool program can help children build a solid academic foundation that supports lifelong learning. However, learning letters, math, shapes, and more is just the beginning. There are other aspects that can help a child be successful in kindergarten and beyond.

Social-emotional learning is one of the most important aspects of early childhood education. This article will explore what social-emotional learning is. You will learn how preschools teach these skills and how parents can support this learning at home.

Contact the educators at Little Sunshine Preschool to explore our incredible early learning programs. You can also contact us with questions or to schedule a tour of our center. We look forward to meeting you and your child soon!

Table of Contents

• What is Social-Emotional Learning?

• What SEL Skills Do Children Learn in Preschool?

  • Problem-solving

  • Identifying emotions

  • Healthy social interactions

  • Self-awareness

  • Responsible decision-making

• How Can Parents Support Social-Emotional Learning at Home?

• Find an Early Learning Program Now

What is Social-Emotional Learning?

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is experiences and education that help children develop essential social and emotional skills. SEL skills include self-awareness, interpersonal skills, and self-control.

Social-emotional skills are critical to a child’s success in school. Building good SEL skills early in life gives children many advantages throughout school, work, and life in general.

Children with solid social-emotional skills can face challenges with confidence. They can form and maintain healthy relationships. They are in control of their behaviors and resist impulsive reactions.

In short, social-emotional skills help people understand and manage their emotions. Instead of their feelings guiding their behaviors, they are in control of them. They can better control their reactions and act in alignment with their values.

Mental health and education experts believe that helping young children build strong social-emotional skills is critical. These skills can positively impact their lives, families, and communities.

It may seem impossible to teach very young children these skills. However, introducing SEL in preschool can help children develop and practice them in the early years.

What SEL Skills Do Children Learn in Preschool?

Early childhood educators are skilled at teaching young children social-emotional skills. Many learning centers and preschool programs create curriculums designed to teach essential school-readiness skills. These curriculums include math, science, literacy, and social-emotional skills.

Teaching children to identify and manage their emotions occurs through a range of social-emotional activities. Here are some of the skills early educators teach in a preschool setting.

Problem-solving

People with good problem-solving skills can tolerate frustration. They can use various skills and draw from experiences to solve problems as they arise. They feel confident in their ability to face new challenges.

Teachers may help children develop these skills by presenting age-appropriate challenges and allowing children to solve problems independently.

Identifying emotions

Emotional awareness means being able to identify and name your own emotions. It means being able to recognize how your feelings affect your behaviors. It also means acknowledging that other people experience a full range of emotions.

Teachers support emotional awareness by naming emotions, reading stories about emotions, and validating a child’s feelings. Teachers may use words to name feelings or encourage children to share their emotions during circle time or throughout the day.

Healthy social interactions

Healthy social interactions occur when all people involved are in control of their bodies and words. They involve mutual respect, empathy, and open-mindedness.

Teachers support healthy classroom interactions by setting clear limits and expectations for classroom behavior. They may involve preschool-aged children in creating classroom rules.

Self-awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to understand your own emotions, values, and thoughts. It entails recognizing how your thoughts and beliefs affect your behaviors. People with good self-awareness feel grounded and confident in their self-purpose.

Responsible decision-making

Responsible decision-making occurs when children make choices that benefit themselves and others. They understand that their decisions have consequences for themselves and others. They are able to make choices that benefit them in the future instead of focusing on what would feel best at the moment.

Teachers can help children develop responsible decision-making by giving age-appropriate choices. They help children understand their choices and explore the potential outcomes.

Teachers may use a variety of social-emotional activities for preschoolers. These might include role-playing, setting expectations, and games that teach these skills.

How Can Parents Support Social-Emotional Learning at Home?

You don’t have to be a teacher or follow an evidence-based SEL program to teach these skills. Parents and caregivers can positively affect your child’s social and emotional development each day. Here are some simple things parents can do to support SEL at home:

• Talk about feelings throughout the day. Name feelings and accept them. Give your child healthy ways to manage anger, frustration, boredom, and more.

• Establish and maintain clear family rules that reflect your values. This might include respecting each other, helping each other, apologizing when necessary, etc.

• Connecting with your child daily. Simple routines and check-ins can help you maintain positive relationships within the family. Spend time talking about feelings and listening to your child without distraction every day.

Introducing social-emotional learning for preschoolers at a very young age is essential. The sooner you start, the better your child will be at using these critical skills.

Find an Early Learning Program Now

Contact the Little Sunshine Preschool team now to learn about our nurturing early learning programs or to schedule a tour. Reach out with questions or to schedule a tour. We look forward to meeting you and your child soon!