There is growing evidence that children’s social-emotional development is associated with better outcomes at home, at school, and in the community. Social-emotional development refers to how children learn to express their feelings, develop relationships, and practice social skills. This lesson will introduce you to social-emotional development and its significance for children’s overall development and learning.

This lesson will focus on how school-age children develop relationships, manage their emotions, cope with stress and develop social skills. You will learn about social-emotional milestones for school-age children and the components for assessing their social-emotional development. 

The emotional climate of a learning environment is key to developing a sense of community among children and staff. This lesson details what it means to establish a sense of community in the school-age learning environment.

Children will naturally practice social skills and behaviors during opportunities for play. This lesson will give you information on why play is important for social-emotional development and how you can support it.

Establishing and maintaining positive relationships is a vital part of a school-age child’s social-emotional development. This lesson will detail the types of relationships you will see as a school-age staff member and provide information on how and why children need to establish friendships.