Promoting Appropriate Social and Emotional Skills in Infants and Toddlers
Source: Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall
Topics: Early Years (Birth-5), Social and Emotional Milestones Birth to 1, Social and Emotional Milestones Ages 2 to 3, Social Emotional Development
Kostelnik, Whiren, Soderman, and Gregory (2006) identified several strategies parents and professionals may use to facilitate appropriate social and emotional development in infants and toddlers:
- Respond to an infant’s signals in a way that is appropriate for the developmental level of the child.
- Comment during routine care about objects or actions that interest the infant.
- Use language to respond to an older infant’s gestures.
- Wait for a physical response to key phrases from a child who is not yet talking.
- Tell the infant or toddler what you are going to do before you do it, and pause a second or two before starting.
- Provide play materials and interaction experiences that encourage the child to explore the environment.
- Praise each success.
- Encourage exploration by being physically available to the child during play.
- Arrange social experiences between infants or toddlers when they are comfortable and alert.
Excerpted From:
Excerpt from Early Childhood Special Education - 0 to 8 Years: Strategies for Positive Outcomes, by S.A. Raver, 2009 edition, p. 215.
© 2009, Merrill, an imprint of Pearson Education Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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