What Is Emotional Development?

     In the beginning babies are programmed to seek out the things that they want by crying. As they mature, though, children's emotional capabilities expand, allowing them to develop a variety of skills that they will need in their adult lives. Emotional development encompasses the feelings that we have about ourselves and others, as well as our capabilities to function well in the world from a social standpoint.

Babies and Their Emotions

     While babies seem to be born with some of their emotional qualities in place, much of how they develop initially can be credited to the lessons that they are taught by their primary caregivers. Warm, attentive care, especially during the first year of life, helps babies to gain a sense that the world is a safe and welcoming place. That sense of security can be a good base for the development of other healthy emotional responses. Babies form attachments to the people closest to them when they are quite young, showing increased anxiety and restlessness when with unfamiliar people. These first and most important relationships serve as a child's earliest lessons in forming close, emotional bonds.

Toddlers - the Beginning of Independence

     As children move from infancy into the toddler era, they gain a sense of self, separate from their parents and siblings. Since this is a whole new world for them, frustrations can run high (for mom and dad, too!) and they may be prone to temper tantrums or other behaviors that their parents find objectionable. As with any new skill, learning to control negative emotional responses takes time, so parents should try to be patient with their temperamental toddlers. Children need to learn that there are better and more effective ways to get what they want than to throw tantrums, and parents can help them by exercising firm kindness.

     While they may be a bit emotionally high-strung, toddlers are also likely to show the first signs of compassion, expressing worry when a buddy or family member seems sad or upset. These expressions of positive emotion should be complimented by parents and caregivers who are striving to encourage healthy emotional development.

Kindness and Self-Control

     By the time that they are school-aged, children begin to take pride in their ability to exert self-control, and enjoy the feedback that they receive from being responsible and cooperative. This presents parents and educators with the opportunity to foster desirable emotional responses by pointing out situations in which children behaved in mature, compassionate ways.

     School aged children are also faced with their own unique challenges, of course, so parents must do all that they can to help kids to navigate unfamiliar situations. Sibling rivalry is common, which can be exasperating for parents who harbour hopes that their children will get along famously. Allowing the children to work things out for themselves is wise (unless the situation gets truly out of control) because each time that the kids resolve an issue, they take steps toward emotional maturity.

Almost Adults

     The teen years can be turbulent (a true understatement!), with additional stresses put on adolescents that they may not have encountered in the past. Social and school responsibilities, coupled with a natural desire to make their own decisions without the input of their parents, can be cause for distress as well as opportunities for growth. Depending on the teen's emotional development up to that point, adolescents may find themselves dealing with feelings of depression, anxiety, or helplessness, in which case, parents must do all that they can to ease their child's stress level. Encouraging activities that promote self-esteem and a sense of community will serve teens well, since they are only steps away from taking full responsibility for their lives.

Expert Opinions

      Lawrence Kohlberg, an American psychologist, felt that people continued to grow and develop emotionally and socially, throughout their entire lives. He determined that we work through six stages (in three levels, with two stages each) of moral development in order to reach our highest potential. His theory seems especially plausible as he acknowledged that not all people will attain the highest levels of morality and emotional maturity. The goal then, for parents, is to encourage their children's emotional development whilst paying close attention to the examples they are setting for their impressionable youngsters.

Emotional Development is how a child's emotions develop. As baby's we will cry for anything we want or feel, but as we grow older we find new emotions and begin replacing these actions with other means of communication like laughter, whining, screaming it all develops naturally over time or it should. It will affect how we interact with people and the environment and varies by the individual.

Ability to express your feeling and understand others

Emotional development in children go through stages and is determined by the teacher ie parents they tend to act the way they see others acting at home and it has a lot to do with the self esteem of the child or person, social skills also plays a large part, cooperation, it is good to reward children for good behavior and cooporation ie a treat, a toy, stars on a chart etc, hope out of all the answers you can come up with a passing grade......the best to you