Emotional and Social Development from 4-6 Standard(s): 2.4, 2.5, 9.2, 10.6 Workplace Skill(s): 1. Complex Communication

Test your knowledge . . . Next to each statement write true or false: __ “5-year-olds are more cooperative and receptive to rules than 4-year-olds” __ “Competition is unhealthy for children” __ “Children from 4-6 behave in acceptable ways only to escape punishment or win approval”

General Emotional Patterns 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds face many changes School takes kids from their homes and into new environment that they share with unfamiliar faces Start to assume more responsibility Feelings of independence and self-worth helps kids develop initiative

What are easy ways to give kids praise? What can you say to them? Importance of Praise Giving praise is essential for children this age: it affirms their sense of self, builds confidence, and creates a more independent child What are easy ways to give kids praise? What can you say to them?

4-year-olds Intent on asserting independence; more self-centered, impatient, bossy than they were at three Use language with enthusiasm; like to use bathroom terms to see how others react Rather difficult phase of normal emotional development

5-year-olds Enter a quieter period of emotional development, similar to age three Practical, sympathetic, serious Have better memory and attention span Adult criticism is hard for them to take Conform to rules more easily

6-year-olds Like 4-year-olds, often stubborn and quarrelsome Resent directions and think they know everything Have rapidly changing moods Difficult age because they are in school all day for the first time Crave praise and approval and are easily hurt and discouraged

Rules for caregivers . . . Children from 4-6 have difficulty handling criticism With the people at your table develop a list of 4 rules for caregivers to use when they try to correct the behavior of a child during this period

Specific Emotions During these years children need help recognizing and expressing their emotions Caregivers should accept and help children identify all emotions they experience . . . anger, fear, jealousy, stress

Specific Emotions, cont’d Anger – Kids will express their anger in different ways, but parents need to set good examples, teach self-control, and encourage using words, not bodies Fear – Many kids will be afraid of school/new environment, so parents should accept their fear, let them express it, and help them face it

Specific Emotions, cont’d Jealousy – Sometimes parents can make it worse Takes form in tattling, criticizing, lying May result in nail-biting, bed-wetting, tantrums Stress – Parents should find the cause, give kids chances to get rid of tension May result in nail-biting, twirling hair, rapid blinking

Family Relationships 4-year-olds: want to feel important in the family, are proud to perform household chores, bicker with siblings 5-year-olds: proud of parents and delight in helping, play better with siblings 6-year-olds: in less harmony with their family members, self-centered, argue with adults, rough with siblings

Moral Development Definition: the process of gradually learning to base one’s behavior on personal beliefs of right and wrong Parents have responsibility of helping kids develop a moral sense that will guide their behavior Around age 5, kids begin developing a conscience

General Social Patterns Developing social skills at this time is a major task As children spend more time outside the home, they refine skills in getting along with peers Adult authority figures other than parents gain more importance There are general patterns at each age

General Social Patterns What social skills should we expect of kids at this age? Grab a piece of construction paper and fold it into thirds At the top of each column, write 4, 5, and 6 Using pages 414-15 jot down what social skills kids have at these ages