Holistic social and emotional development The importance of play

1. TCHE2622: Professional experience:
Principles and practices in Early
Childhood Education
Week 3 : Lecture
Holistic social and emotional development
The importance of play
By Dr. Anamika Devi

2. I would like acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin
Nations as the Traditional Owners of the land on which the
University stands. I respectfully recognise Elders both past
and present and emerging.
Acknowledgement of country

3. Contents
• A whole child
• Developmental domains
• Social and emotional development
• Theories of social-emotional development
• Self regulation
• The importance of play
• Play and it’s relationship with social-emotional
development

4. A whole child

5. Factors influences development
- Family composition
- Education/child care
- Exposure to political ideologies
- Language/dialect
- Geographic location
- Friendships/peer group
- Physical development
- Culture and child rearing practice
- Social self
- Religion
- Personality
- Ethnicity
- Emotions
- Employment/ occupation
- Media influence
- Moral beliefs
- Cognition
- Genetics
- Acceptance

6. Development
Development is concerned with "both changes and
consistency in physical growth, feelings and ways of
thinking" (Hoffnung et al, 2010, p4) but at different stages in
life are more predominant. Lifespan development can be
clearly seen when a child takes their first step or more
subtly when an adolescent becomes aware of their own
change in maturity. Continuities may only last for a period
in the lifespan - do you still enjoy the same music now as
you did when you were a child?

7. Domains of development
 Physical development
 Social/emotional development
 Language development
 Cognitive (intellectual) development

8. Overlapping of areas
 The development of any one area is influenced by the progress in
all other areas.
 If a young child learns by touching and manipulating objects, her
cognitive development will be influenced by her physical ability to
manipulate the objects.
 The holistic development of a child involves family, society, and
cultural influences on the child.

9. What is developmental milestones?
Developmental milestones are
behaviors or physical skills seen
in infants and children as they
grow and develop. Rolling over,
crawling, walking, and talking
are all considered milestones.
The milestones are different for
each age range. ...
For example, walking may begin
as early as 8 months in some
children

10. Social emotional development
 How the child relates and interacts with
others as well as how they play.
 Initiates interaction
 Shows affection towards others
 Develops friendships
 Imitates adults actions in play
 Asserts independence

11. Social development linked to emotional
development
Human beings are inherently social beings. Humans ‘read’
the world by engaging in social experiences that in turn
effect our emotional balance.

12. Implications
Whitebread (2012) explains that developing social
skills in childhood is particularly important in
ensuring a ‘happy and productive life as a school
pupil, with all the social challenges of the pre-
school and school classroom and playground’
needing to be navigated (p 39)

13. It’s all about me!
 During the development of social and emotional capabilities, children
learn to see another’s perspective, control emotions and form
relationships with peers and adults other than their parents.
 In the age range of 0-5 years, children are very egocentric –
assuming that they are pivotal in everyone’s lives.
 This egocentric view of themselves may influence a child’s
developmental progression through the development of balanced
social and emotional capabilities.

14. 14
Approaches/theories
Normative Behaviourist Social
cognitive
Stage
theory
Ethological Contextual
Gesell
Watson/Skinne
r/Pavlov
Bandura
Psychoanalytic cognitive
Freud/Erikson
Piaget
Bowlby
Ecological
Socio
cultural
Dynamic
systems
Lifespan
Bronfenbrenne
r
Vygotsky
Thelen
Baltes
Concept map of theories:
comparison
Nature/
Universal/discontinuo
us
Nurture/
cultural/continuous
Interaction between Nature
& nurture/
Universal/discontinuous
Nurture/
cultural/continuous
Nature &
nurture/Universa
l/discontinuous
Nature &
nurture/Universal
/discontinuous
Nature &
nurture/cultural/continuous
& discontinuous
Nature &
nurture/cultural/no
t specified
Nature &
nurture/cultural
& universal
/continuous &
discontinuous

15. Which theory/theories talk about social-
emotional development of children?

16. The social learning theory
Using observation for learning
16
(1925 – now)
Albert Bandura

17. The social learning theory:
• direct reinforcement could not account for all types of
learning.
• His theory added a social element, arguing that people can
learn new information and behaviors by watching other
people.
• Known as observational learning (or modeling), this type of
learning can be used to explain a wide variety of behaviors.

18. - people can learn through observation
-internal mental states are an essential part of this process
external, environmental reinforcement was not the only factor to influence
learning and behavior. Intrinsic reinforcement such as pride, satisfaction, and a
sense of accomplishment are forms of internal reward
-this theory recognizes that just because something has been learned, it does
not mean that it will result in a change in behaviour.
There are three core concepts at the heart of social
learning theory:

19. Social Learning theory - Bandura
- Response to Behaviourism

20. Bobo the doll
– Bandura’s experiment for observational
behaviour.

21. Attachments
 Attachment can be defines as a unique emotional bond between
caregiver and the child that involves an exchange of comfort, care
and pleasure.
 In 1951, John Bowlby termed this as the ‘attachment theory’ after
doing several experiments to determine the extent that children
thrived in warm, positive environments with a key person – generally
the mother. Early experiences in childhood have an important
influence on development and behaviour later in life.
 Our early attachment styles are established in childhood through the
infant/ caregiver relationship

22. John Bowlby
 Babies are born with instinctive behaviours such as crying, smiling
and making eye contact that elicit care giving from others
 If children’s needs are not met by a significant caregiver when they
exhibit these behaviours they fail to ‘attach’ to an adult
 Children need secure first attachments so that they learn to trust that
their needs will be meet
 The quality of a child’s earliest attachments will influence his/her
later relationships with other people and therefore the development
of his/her personality

23. What do you know about secure and
insecure attachment?

24. Secure Vs. insecure attachment
 Secure attachment- child finds both safety/protection and support for
exploration/autonomy from parent or caregiver within first few years of life
 Insecure attachment-
Anxious- Avoidant
Anxious-resistant/ Ambivalent
Disorganized-disoriented attachment
Let’s watch the video from youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTsewNrHUHU

25. Secure attachment
Secure attachment results from “attunement” of parent with
child’s needs
Secure attachment results when a parent provides a safe
heaven to protect & comfort child, as well as a secure base
from which the child can grow and learn

26. Why is Secure attachment important
 Good capacity for emotional regulation, including the ability to contain
impulses when necessary, to express feelings when appropriate, and to
become emotionally invested in activity
 A core secure sense of self-worth
 A fundamental confidence in others as caring and in the self as worthy
 An understanding of relationships which includes features of emotional
openness, reciprocity and responsiveness
 Attachment is lifelong and positively influences social interactions and
interpersonal relationships throughout life
 Secure attachment is the right of every child.

27. Insecure attachment patterns
 Anxious-Avoidant attachment:
Watchful, wary (hyper vigilant), “Slow-to-warm-up”; difficulty maintaining emotional
closeness to others, difficulty directly expressing feelings, show limited engagement in
emotionally arousing situations. The child rejects or ignores his/her parent.
 Anxious-Resistant attachment:
Both clingy & angry, rejects contact, refuses to be comforted; heightend arousal and
exaggerated emotional expression; easily frustrated, overstimulated, impulsive and overly
anxious
 Disorganized/Disoriented attachment
Fearful and confused, infants may exhibit an array of seemingly undirected behavioural
responses; ‘frozen’ postures, and cry out unexpectedly after being comforted. The child is
self-destructive and emotionally disturbed
27

28. Circle of security
 Children respond well socially and emotionally when they feel a sense of
safety and belonging as in the ‘Circle of Security’.
 The ‘Circle of Repair’ suggests how to repair situations that need
mediation so that the child’s emotions are in tact and self esteem remains
high.
This is taken from the Early Childhood Australia, Research in Practice Series
Volume 14 Number 4 2007.
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/pdf/rips/rip0704.pdf

30. Factors impact on child’s behaviour
Other factors that influence socialisation and behaviour include:
 Self-regulation
 The child’s personality and temperament
 Resilience
 Mental health, stress and their impact on the executive
functioning of the brain

31. Self- regulation skills
Self-regulation skills develop as the child matures and include:
• Respecting the rights of others
• Respecting property rights - not taking what someone else owns or is using
• Respecting personal space and boundaries - not moving into someone else’s space unless invited
or accepted
• Acknowledging the right of others to feel safe – not causing others to feel unsafe by acting in a
threatening manner
• Controlling expressions of anger, frustration and disappointment, and expressing emotions in a way
that does not hurt anybody or damage property
• Assessing oneself in a socially acceptable manner; being assertive enables children to have more
control of situation – for example, ‘Please don’t push me – I don’t like it’
• Sharing own ideas and listening to the ideas of others.
• Learning that each person has a useful contribution to make
• Developing the ability to both listen to others and to make contribution
• Using effective communication skills to resolve conflicts

32. Provide a supportive environment
Children are not born “good” or born “bad”.
- They develop a range of behaviours, attitudes and
ways of expressing, their needs depending, on a
range of factors throughout their early childhood
years.
- The environment in which children spend much of
their time and how adults react to and provide
guidance to young children in these early years
plays a critical role in helping them to develop
positive behaviours.

33. Supportive environment
- Play areas where not too many children have to
compete for the same equipment or toys
- Lots of similar equipment and materials as it is hard for
children to wait their turn
- Lots of time outdoors. Children need ample time to be
outdoors even though adults may feel the cold, children
don’t tend to!

34. Value of play
In early childhood education, we
Australian educators have always valued
play as a critical source for children’s
learning and development. This is kind of
“children’s way of acting”.
Anamika Devi 2019

35. Link: NQS
Area 1: Educational program and
practice
Element: 1.1.3_ All aspects of the program,
including routines, are organised in ways that
maximise opportunities for each child’s learning.
Element: 1.2.2_ Educators respond to children’s
ideas and play and extend children’s learning through
open-ended questions, interactions and feedback.
Anamika Devi 2019

36. EYLF: Play based learning
The Early Years Learning Framework defines play-
based learning as 'a context for learning through which
children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as
they engage actively with people, objects and
representations'.
36

37. Play and it’s relationship with social-emotional
development
 Developing role play
 Respecting the rights of others
 Discussing
 Cooperating
 Sharing
 Collaborating
 Turn taking
 Appreciate efforts of others
 Experience pride and satisfaction
 Express feelings
 Develop independence and self-help skills

38. Think about some play or games which could
develop children’s social-emotional skills and
write it down

39. Well done!!
You have finished the third lecture
Don’t forget to complete your
reading to consolidate these
concepts