MODULE 13 – SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF PRESCHOOLER

Module 13 – Socio-emotional Development of

Preschooler

“One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the

happiness of the child.”
- Maria Montessori

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this Module, you should be able to:
 identify the different caregiving styles and their effect on preschoolers.
 describe how significant relationships with parents, siblings and peers affect the
preschooler.
 reflect on how can you apply your learnings from this module to your classroom in the
future

INTRODUCTION
Socio-emotional development is crucial in the preschool years. We hear a lot of parents
and teachers and preschool administrators say that attending preschool is more for "socialization"
than for formal academic learning. There is wisdom in this. During the preschool years, children
learn about their ever-widening environment (Remember Module 6 on Bronfenbrenner?)
Preschoolers now discover their new roles outside their home. They become interested to assert
themselves as they relate with other people. A lot of very important social skills they will learn
during the preschool years will help them throughout life as adults. These skills can even
determine the individual's later social adjustment and consequent quality of relationships in adult
life.
Have you observed preschoolers playing in the playground or in the classroom?

ABSTRACT
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The observation you did provided you a glimpse of the world of preschoolers. You were
once in that world of wonder and fascination. Read through this Module and you will surely
understand more why they manifested the social behaviors that you have observed.

Big Ideas on Preschoolers' Socio-emotional Development

1. The development of initiative is crucial to the preschooler.

2. A healthy self-concept is needed for preschoolers to interact with others.

3. Environmental factors influence gender identity in young children.

4. Preschoolers' social development is shown through the stages of play.

5. The care-giving styles of parents and teachers affect the preschoolers' socio-emotional
development.

6. Preschoolers are interested in building friendships.

Preschoolers' Initiative
Erikson's view of initiative aptly portrays the emotional and social changes that happen
during the preschool years. As discussed in Module 3, preschoolers deal with the psychological
conflict of initiative versus guilt. Erikson believed that healthy preschoolers develop initiative,
the tendency of preschoolers to want to take action and assert themselves. They will yearn to
create, invent, pretend, take risks and engage in lively and imaginative activities with peers.
When parents, teachers and other adults support these attempts and provide a stimulating
environment, the preschooler's sense of initiative will grow. On the other hand, if the adults show
overprotection, extreme restriction and criticisms, the preschooler will develop guilt.
As preschoolers go through the conflict of initiative vs. guilt, they show so much energy
in doing imaginative play activities. Every place becomes a playground to explore, every single
thing an interesting piece to tinker with. Adults sometimes get exasperated over this behavior
and begin to see the preschooler as "naughty" or "makulit". Some parents and teachers then
become overly restrictive, resorting to threats, intimidation and other scary tactics that disrespect
the preschooler just to establish "control". Consequently, the child may develop excessive guilt.
Although a good amount of guilt helps in making children take responsibility for their behavior,
excessive guilt hampers emotional growth.
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Preschoolers who are always punished and criticized end up constructing a view of
themselves as being "salbahe " (bad) "bobo " (dumb) or even "walang kwenta" (worthless). This
is really sad because childhood years should be happy years. One poster says, "You don't have to
hit to hurt." The message emphasizes that even the things we say and the way we deal with
preschoolers can already hurt them at this vulnerable stage.
The key thing to remember is to apply "judicious permissiveness." This involves setting
realistic boundaries that keep preschoolers safe and respectful of self and others, while allowing
them greater opportunity to explore, take risks and to engage in creative processes. Preschoolers
will develop a healthy sense of initiative in an affirming, encouraging and stimulating
environment.

Self-Concept and the Preschooler

By the end of toddlerhood, preschoolers come out with a clear sense that they are a
separate and distinct person. With their ability to make representations, they can now think and
reflect about themselves. Self-concept refers to the way one sees himself, a general view about
one's abilities, strengths and weaknesses. The preschooler's self-concept mainly focuses on
observable characteristics and his/her usual beliefs, emotions and attitudes. One will hear a
preschooler say, "Kaya ko na! (I can do it)" "Ako lang nagsuot ng shoes ko," (I wore my shoes
all by myself.) An important aspect of self-concept is self-esteem, which specifically refers to
one's judgments about one's worth, Preschoolers are naturally positive. Usually they will tend to
evaluate their skills high and underestimate the tasks. They are confident to try again even if they
don't succeed with something. However, they may become negative because of repeated
frustration and disapproval. Preschoolers need a lot of patience and encouragement from adults.

Environmental Factors and Gender in the Preschoolers' Socio-emotional

Development
As the preschooler's ability to create schemas develop, they become capable of gender
typing, the process of forming gender roles, gender-based preferences and behaviors accepted by
society. They come to form gender stereotypes. Preschoolers begin to associate certain things
like toys, tools, games, clothes, jobs, colors or even actions or behaviors as being "only for boys"
or "only for girls." Consequently, they form their own gender identity, the view of oneself as
being masculine or feminine.
Gender typing and gender identity are influenced by emnvironmental factors such as the
family, teachers, peers and the mass media. This is where Bronfenbrenner's model comes into
play. Different spheres of influence determine the preschooler's development of a gender
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schema. Differences in parental expectations and behavior towards daughters and sons affect
gender typing and gender identity. More often, boys expected to show more emotional control
and be more competitive while girls are expected to be warm and soft and demure. Parents
expect their children to play toys that are "right" for their gender. The expectations of other
people in the preschoolers lives also influence their gender schema. This includes their relatives,
teachers, classmates and other playmates.
Mass media and ICT which include television, movies, the internet, computer games also
offer various images of what it means to be a boy or girl. In the US, there is growing debate
about Lesbian. Gay-Bi-sexual-Transgender issues which is collectively known as LGBT issues.
Schools are in a tight situation or have to do a "balancing act” on how to deal with these issues
with children so that schools are still able to be on the side of respect for diversity without
necessarily confusing children who are at a stage of forming their oven gender schemas.
Preschool teachers should think thoroughly on how to present notions of what boys and
girls can do especially in the discussion about occupations or community helpers.

Parten's Stages of Play

Play is the main agenda of the preschool years. Play has a social dimension. As the
preschooler develops, social interaction with playmates increases. Mildred Parten, in the 1930's
did a study on children's play behavior which led to Parten's stages of play. Since then,
numerous studies have followed using these stages as framework. The stages describe the play
development of children and the gradual increase of social interaction as they go through these
stages. It begins with the very young child's unoccupied stage, then solitary play then parallel
play, associative and cooperative play. Play becomes an important venue for the child's
development of social skills like entering or joining a play situation, taking-turns, sharing,
helping, saying sorry, and together. Play is indeed the child's major business!

Parten’s Stages of Play

The child appears not to be playing but
directs his attention on anything that interests
Unoccupied him.

The child spends time watching others play.

He may talk to them but does not enter into
Onlooker
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play with them.

The child spends time watching others play.

He may talk to them but does not enter into
Solitary Play play with them.
The child plays with toys similar to those near
him, but only plays beside and not with them.
Parallel Play No interaction takes place.

The child plays with others. There is

interaction among them, but no task
Associative Play assignment, rules and organization are agreed
upon.

The child plays with others bound by some

agreed upon rules and roles. The goal is
Cooperative maybe to make something, play a game, or
act out something.

Friendships in Preschool
As they continue to grow, preschoolers become interested in having friends. This should
be encouraged in the preschool years as friendships benefit the preschooler’s development by
providing stimulation, assistance, companionship, social comparison and affection (Kostelnik,
2010). Through friendships, preschoolers are able to practice different social roles like being a
leader, a follower, someone who takes risks and someone who helps out and comforts.
Friendships are very important because they provide added sense of belongingness and security.
In the preschool years, parents and teachers must expose children to experiences that help them
learn skills in establishing friendships, maintaining positive relationships and resolving conflicts.
Parents and teachers when seeing preschoolers in a "fight", should not just say "Tama na..ano ba
yan..isa pa ha.. Tama na, friends na kavo..Say sorry na.. " Responses like those do not foster
social skills among preschoolers. Parents and teachers need to take time and process with
children how to resolve conflicts.
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Caregiving Styles
Caregiving styles affect the socio-emotional development of the children. Caregivers here
refer to both parents and teachers and even other adults that care for the child. Baumrind gave a
model that describes the different types of caregiving styles. This was based on a longitudinal
study that looked into the adult authority and the development of children that Baumrind
conducted which began in the 1960's. Decades later she identified varying degrees of
demandingness and responsiveness as determinants of four styles of caregiving. Marion (2007)
expounded on these determining factors.
Responsiveness refers to caregiver behaviors that pertain to expression of affection and
communication. It refers to how warm, caring and respectful the adult is to the child. It involves
openness in communication and the willingness to explain things in ways that the child
understands. Demandingness refers to the level of control and expectations. This involves
discipline and confrontation strategies.
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Authoritative Parent Authoritarian Parent

Permissive Parent Negligent Parent

Baumrind’s Caregiving Styles

Baumrind’s Caregiving Styles and Their Effects on Children

Description Effect on the
Caregiving Style The caregivers/parents/teacher with this preschooler
caregiver style has the following
descriptions:
Authoritative  Expect behavior appropriate to the  Makes the preschooler
(high demandingness, age of the child feel safe and secure
high responsiveness)  Maintain reasonable and fair limits  Teaches the child to take
 Closely monitor the activities of the responsibility for his/her
child actions
 Warm and nurturing  Develops good self-
 Have realistic expectations of the control
child  Develops a realistic view
 Communicate messages in a kind, of oneself
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firm and consistent manner  Builds the child’s

 Discipline approach focuses more on capacity for empathy
teaching than punishing
Authoritarian  Set subjective or unreasonable limits  Lead to aggressive
(high demandingness, low  Communicate messages behavior of the child
responsiveness)  Strive to have strong psychological  Brings about poor self-
control over the child control
 Do not supervise children’s  Results in poor self-
activities very well and then get esteem
upset if they make a mistake
 Use corporal punishment, sarcasm,
withdrawal of love, threats
 Not able to teach children a better
way to behave
Permissive  Permit the preschoolers to regulate  Has difficulty controlling
(low demandingness, high their own behavior and make their his/her impulses
responsiveness own decisions even when  Tends to be dependent
preschoolers are not yet ready to do  Tends to be demanding
so of their caregivers
 Do not set rules or very few if any  Tends not to persist or
 D not demand good behavior or task easily gives up on a task
accomplishment  Does not easily follow
 May lack confidence in their ability  Maybe rebellious
to influence the child  Does not handle
 Maybe disorganized and ineffective frustration well
in managing the family and  Has inadequate
household class emotional control
 Shows undemanding indifferent and  Difficulties in school
rejecting action towards the child performance
 Has little commitment to their roles When parents’ behavior is to the
as parents/caregivers extreme or if child experiences
 Maybe depressed or overburdened this style early, the child may
by many concerns like poverty, have:
marital problems, or absence of  Attachment problems
support from others  Delayed cognitive
development
 Poor social emotional
skills
 Delinquent behavior later
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in adolescence
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A Quick Look at What Preschoolers Can Do

(From the Philippine Early Learning Standards, ECCD Council, 2010) Emotional Expression

Expression of Basic Emotions

37-48 months (3-4 years)
 Expresses what he/she likes
 Expresses what he/she dislikes
 Can talk about difficult feelings (e.g., anger, sadness, worry) he/she experiences

Self-regulation of feelings/emotion

 Willing to try something in order to learn more even if unsure- of a successful outcome
 Perseveres when faced with challenging or new tasks
 Accepts brief delays in gratification
 Accepts defeat well; is not a sore loser
 May have some fears but is not overly fearful, anxious or nervous
 May feel sad at times but not to the point where he/she is depressed

Display of Self-Appraisal Emotions (shame, pride, guilt) Plays to learn a game

 Plays to gain mastery of a game

 Shows pleasure and enjoyment over his/her successful attempts or efforts
 Confidently joins small groups especially if situation is competitive
 Seeks assistance from an adult or child to solve a problem

Receptivity to Others' Emotions

Receptivity to emotions and having empathy 37-48 months
37-48 months (3-4 years)
 Feels others' distress and acts appropriately (e.g., helps, comforts, gives, suggestions,
etc.)

Emerging Sense of Self

 Knowledge of Self and Basic Roles of People in his Environment

Talks about parts of the body and their functions

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 Talks about own specific abilities and characteristics (e.g., sings, dances, is helpful,
studious, etc.)
 Describes primary caregiver can do, what they like and don't like
 Defends possessions with determination
 Can give reasons or justify why he/she acted the way he/she did

Forming Attachments

 Shows preference for the company of significant adults and children (other than the
primary caregiver) over unfamiliar adults and children

Interactions with Other Children

 Plays with 2 Or 3 children using the same play equipment

 Participates in games with other children but plays in his own way
 Chats/converses with other children
 Takes turns and shares toys with others
 Actively participates in classroom and group routines
 Plays organized group games fairly

Interaction with Adults

37-48 months (3-4 years)
 Verbalizes feelings related to events that arise in classroom, home, and environment in a
positive way
 Speaks respectfully with adults using "po" and "opo" and/or appropriate titles
 Recognizes the importance of adult's ideas and experiences by listening and asking
questions when they share these Clarifies rules and routines before abiding by them
 Shares personal perspective when he/she does not agree with or see the value of a rule or
routine
 Can take on another person's viewpoint

Pakiramdam (Sensitivity)

 Knows when to stop asking questions or when he is being "makulit"

 Cooperates to minimize conflict or tension

Appreciating Diversity

 Asks questions that indicate he/she notices differences in socio-economic status

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 Asks questions about new/different words (dialects) and practices in the community
 Talks about gender differences and roles
 Regards everyone respectfully, using proper titles/labels, and does not resort to name-
calling
 Willing to make friends with other children and adults in different situations and
locations (e.g., schools, neighborhood)

The Role of Caregivers in the Socio-emotional

Development of the Preschooler
From the discussion above one can see the very important role that parents and teachers
play in the socio-emotional development of the preschooler. The following tips are given to
caregivers (parents and teachers):

1. Greet each child with his or her names each day. Be sincere and respectful to each child.

2. Read storybooks that deal about friendships and different feelings.

3. Develop routines in the home or school that encourage working together and getting
along.

4. Help children learn to make rules and play simple games by providing opportunities for
them to play in small groups.

5. Play games that involve social interaction and team work.

6. Observe how a child plays with other children. Teach him to request, bargain, negotiate,
and apologize.

7. Help children understand and cope with strong feelings by giving them words that they
can use to express how they feel. "I can see you are SAD about your pet, ANGRY at your
sister ….”

8. Use dolls, puppets or pictures to demonstrate to children how to express feelings

appropriately.

9. Acknowledge how the child feels. For example, one can say, "Nalulungkot ka dahil hindi
ka nakasama sa party. " (You seem sad that you did not go the party). When we do this,
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we are able to model to the preschooler that is important to listen and that having
feelings, even negative ones, are okay.

10. Catch children doing good. Affirm the efforts they make to accomplish something. Be
specific in your praise. Do not just say, "Good job" or "Very good." Instead, say, "When I
saw you pack-away your toys, I felt really happy. Remember to always pack-away."

11. Read storybooks that deals about friendships

12. For teachers, develop routines that encourage working together and getting along

ACTIVITY
The best caregiving style is the authoritative style. From all that you have learned form
this Module, make list of 10 qualities that an authoritative preschool teacher should have:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

9.

10.

APPLICATION
Describe how significant relationships with parents, siblings and peers affect the
preschooler.
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REFLECTION
As a future teacher, how can you apply your learnings from this module to your
classroom?

Reference: Corpuz, B.B., Lucas, M.D., Borabo, H.L., & Lucido, P.I., (2015). Child and adolescent development: Looking at learners at different life stages. Lorimar Publishing,
Inc.