Emotional Skills In Early Childhood Education

The early childhood years are characterized by the basis for developing cognitive, emotional, and social abilities, which lay the basis for mental health and wellbeing. These skills play an important role in children’s ability to make successful life transitions, learn and reach their potential at school. When children enter educational settings without having primal social and emotional skills can encounter challenges which can lead to long-term outcomes. These include the teacher spending large amounts of time managing misbehaviors, peer conflicts, negative feedback from the teacher, and fail to maintain learning atmosphere (Boyd, Barnett, Bodrova, Leong & Gomby, 2005). Current Early Childhood Education programs stress the importance of promoting

The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL, 2003) defines social-emotional learning (SEL) as the process of developing students’ knowledge, attitudes and skills required to manage emotions, build healthy relationships, possess empathy and make decisions. Social-emotional skills are essential for working with others, achieving goals and reducing anti-social behaviors. CASEL has identified five connected sets of competencies in social Emotional leaning: social-awareness (understand others feelings and sympathy), self-awareness (recognizing emotions), self-management (controlling emotions and impulses), and making-decisions (problem solving), and relationship skills (communication). Social emotional learning goes beyond teaching children subject areas; it encourages children recognize their ability “to integrate thinking, feeling and, behaving to achieve important life tasks” (Zins et al., 2004, p. 194). Social and Emotional Learning influences both high and low sociality and emotionally skilled children (Raimundo, Marques-Pinto, & Lima,

Studies indicate that the social and emotional development of children is an essential constituent of education and does not consume time from academic lessons; rather it supports knowledge (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schelinger, 2011). Research affirms that there is a substantial relationship between social-emotional skills and school success. This view is supported by a school-based meta-analysis which shows that social and emotional learning produced an 11% increase in school success (Durlak et al., 2011). It is impossible to imagine a school environment that lacks respect, responsibility, cooperation, and well behaved citizens (Elias, 2009). Thus, it is evident that making social and emotional learning part of teaching supports the holistic development of children. These findings provide evidence that students are not being equipped with competencies to become responsible citizens or successful students. Therefore, educators cannot overlook social and emotional learning. Teachers can set up the foundation for positive social skills. Teachers play a significant role in modeling social skills and arranging positive social environment (Lynch & Simpson, 2010). Research shows that when children acquire strategies to communicate, cope, and manage impulses can maintain focus in learning contexts (Wooley & Rubin,