Reflective Competency Statement III: To support social and emotional development and to provide positive guidance Social and emotional development in children involves them identifying and understanding their own feelings, comprehending the feelings of others, managing strong emotions and regulating their own behavior, having empathy for others, and building and maintaining relationships. I support positive emotional development by interacting with children compassionately, showing consideration for their feelings and needs, expressing interest in their daily activities and past experiences, respecting their viewpoints, showing pride in their accomplishments, and providing encouragement and support with kind words during stressful times. CS III a: To support the development of social and emotional skills and a positive sense of self, we need to provide children with an environment that is safe and supportive, physically, socially and emotionally. As children develop, they learn by observing others and communicating with them.
The way adults communicate with children throughout the day can have an important influence on children’s self-concept and their development of social and emotional skills. I think the easiest way to support these concepts is through modeling behavior. Modeling for the children how to interact with others, respect others differences, encouraging listening, and provide praise and encouragement to the children will boost their self-esteem and help them to form positive outlooks on themselves and on those around them.
CS III b: My philosophy of guiding young children’s positive behavior is to be a welcoming positive influence in the classroom. Providing lots of love and understanding helps the child feel wanted and valued. I believe positive reinforcement leads to better behavior in children and stronger relationships between the children and the caretakers. I use positive reinforcement with my children in the classroom with great success. When the children receive the attention they crave positively by doing something that is good, instead of negative attention from misbehaving then the children are more likely to make the right choice in the future in order to gain that attention and respect from their caretaker.
