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Social-emotional development refers to how children learn to express their feelings, develop relationships, and practice social skills. Mixed-age care provides a unique opportunity for children to interact with peers of different ages. They can develop positive relationships with a wider range of peers as opposed to only having friends their own age. This daily interaction can contribute to social and emotional growth for all age groups in your care. Younger children learn valuable social skills from older peers, and older students develop empathy and leadership qualities by interacting with the younger children.
It is important to imbed opportunities for social-emotional learning during your daily routines and activities. You know the children in your care so well. You can help children build friendship skills by providing materials that promote social interactions such as blocks, balls, dramatic play items, cars, and trucks. Children who share the same interests can be paired together. Older children can help younger children with simple tasks. They can practice sharing and taking turns during snacks or lunchtime.
Remember infants and toddlers are watching your facial expressions. Your interactions with the youngest children in your care help develop their relationship-building skills. You can teach emotional literacy to the younger children by talking about and labeling your own emotions.
Whether you are a teacher in a mixed-age classroom or a Family Child Care provider, it is your role to create an environment based on respect and kindness. It is important to make each child feel special and welcome when they arrive. Greet each child as they enter your program in a personal way and let them know you are happy to see them.
Emotional development refers to a child's ability to express, recognize, and manage their own emotions and respond appropriately to others' emotions.
It’s important to model respectful interactions with other adults in the room as well as the children. You can teach emotional literacy by modeling healthy ways to express your own emotions as well as talking about them. Use “I” statements to describe your feelings and provide feeling names for the children’s emotions.
Friendship skills, emotional literacy, self-regulation, anger management, and problem-solving are all skills that older children can practice and learn over time. You can also model healthy strategies on how to cope with stress and how to navigate conflicts with others. When there is a conflict with the children in your care, use it as a teachable moment and help the children work through the conflict. This learning will occur naturally in the learning environment by providing time for child-led play and interaction in an unstructured way.
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