Also referred to as childhood mental health, social and emotional development involves a child’s ability to experience and appropriately express a range of emotions.
Social emotional development also includes how a child develops healthy relationships with others and actively explores their environment.
How can you support your child’s social and emotional development?
May 21st is World Baking Day! Below are some baking-themed activities you can do with your child to support their social and emotional development.
Infants: “Gingerbread Man” Nursery Rhyme
Use props to illustrate points in the story. For example, a gingerbread puppet, a baker’s hat, a pig and/or fox puppet.
Toddlers: “Dough Faces”
Get some cookie dough and along with your child use the dough to make different faces such as happy, sad, or scared. Use the faces created as an opportunity to talk about what that feeling feels like with your child.
Preschoolers: “Get Out the Mad” Cookies
Try a new cookie recipe and use the cookie baking experience as a way for your preschooler to express any negative emotions. Make this time an opportunity to communicate with your preschooler about why they were angry or sad and how “cookies” or another activity could help them feel better.
Interested in checking how your child is developing their fine motor skills? Complete a free developmental questionnaire at Help Me Grow.
Questions? Contact us!
Crystal Burns, Child Development Specialist
(386) 317-3386
cburns@elcfv.org
