From birth, children are developing social, emotional and physical skills that will enable them to gain confidence in themselves and others, and to control and use their muscles effectively. You promote healthy development when you respond to their needs promptly and give children time to explore their environment during active times of their day.
Significance
A child's social, emotional and physical development helps him establish healthy relationships, understand and react appropriately to his feelings and to eventually become self-reliant. Your timely and patient response to your child's needs helps her to develop trust in others. By helping your child name and understand emotions and feelings, you encourage emerging social and emotional skills, according to Child Care Aware. As your child explores and plays, he strengthens muscles that will enable him to master physical activities.
Social and Emotional Development
A child's social and emotional development are interrelated. Social development refers to a child's growing ability to interact appropriately with others. Emotional development relates to an emerging awareness of personal feelings such as contentment, frustration, excitement and anxiety. Developing social and emotional skills indicate increased self-awareness and self-regulation, according to PBS.org. As children grow socially and emotionally, they gain the "ability to pay attention, make transitions from one activity to another and cooperate with others," adds the PBS program "The Whole Child."
Physical Development
Physical development includes gross motor and fine motor skills, as well as coordination and balance. Physical developmental milestones typically signify progress in one of the three areas. Gross motor skills include crawling, walking and jumping, and involve larger muscles such as the torso, arms or legs. Fine motor development involves movements by smaller muscles such as those in the fingers, toes or face. Examples of fine motor development include grasping, picking up small items with the thumb and forefinger, and scribbling. Balance and coordination development involve movements such as twisting or turning and often require hand/eye coordination.
Features
Healthy social and emotional development depends on the caregiver's or parent's proper response to a child's needs and feelings. You encourage social and emotional development by holding and playing with your child, naming feelings and emotions for younger children using calm, direct language such as "you're tired now" or "you're ready to eat" and by encouraging older children to find solutions to conflict by communicating thoughts and feelings calmly to peers.
Encourage physical development in infants by providing opportunities to play on the floor during active times and by taking time to introduce grasping toys. Promote development in older children by introducing sorting and sewing toys and encouraging outdoor, active play each day.
Considerations
Children develop socially, emotionally and physically at different paces. Refer to developmental milestones as a general guide, but not as a fixed checklist of normal progress. Difficulty with sharing, for example, is normal and can usually be successfully addressed by a caregiver who models sharing or encourages sharing by articulating solutions, according to Child Care Aware. If you're concerned about your child's developmental progress, consult her pediatrician, who can offer advice about additional activities or steps you can take to support your child's healthy development in every area.
