Social-emotional development refers to how children learn to express their feelings, develop relationships, and practice social skills. This lesson provides an introduction to social-emotional development during the infant and toddler years and its significance for children’s overall development and learning.     

This lesson will help you understand how infants and toddlers develop socially and emotionally. You will learn about social-emotional milestones and what to do if you are concerned about the social-emotional development of an infant or toddler in your care.

A well-planned, high-quality environment should support the social-emotional development and learning of infants and toddlers. This lesson describes how your learning environment can promote social-emotional growth through routines, materials, and individualized care.

This lesson highlights the significance of being a responsive infant and toddler caregiver and provides insights on how to promote social-emotional competence in your workplace when engaging with young children, families, and colleagues. A key learning point is the importance of self-reflection and collaborative, supportive relationships.