Developing emotional and social skills hinges on finding ways to make children feel involved and valued. Lena Engel offers some ideas
Early learning goal
Have a developing awareness of their own needs, views and feelings and be sensitive to the needs, views and feelings of others (Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage, page 34)
This statement encompasses principles for positive social and emotional behaviour that we wish all children to believe in and follow. To achieve them, practitioners need first to be aware of how they influence children's behaviour and, second, to deploy strategies to ensure that the social group operates successfully.
Children always imitate adult behaviour, so start by reviewing the quality of your relationships with other staff and parents as well as how you influence the behaviour of children in your setting.
This may be a new way of working for many practitioners because it focuses attention away from the content of activities and finished products and towards the process of delivery and the learning experience of the child. It takes the aims of the Foundation Stage literally, which are to support the needs of individual children and to use teaching strategies that promote learning and access to it.
Social skills can be taught and practitioners should adopt an active role in creating an ethos and environment in which children can learn about themselves and their companions. The effective development of good social skills is directly dependent on the delegation of social responsibilities.
For this to be achieved, it is essential to plan for participation, reflection and debate. These aims can be achieved if children feel welcome, are valued for what they contribute and appreciated for their individual personalities. All efforts require initiative and subtlety because the activity should not be seen as mere tokenism.
Below are suggestions for developing in children some of the social and emotional skills which society values so highly, taking into account the way children can progress through the stepping stones as their understanding of social behaviour matures.
Making choices
Encourage children to make choices and reflect on the activities available so that they become more aware that they are making a specific and conscious choice rather than drifting between activities. As children become more confident about making choices, they take more notice of what is available and appreciate that they are expected to choose. Capitalise on this process by encouraging them to express their opinions and explain their decisions. The more children participate in this way, the more their self-esteem will be developed.
Good practice
- Ensure that activities are well planned to meet the educational needs of the children and that appropriate resources are easily accessible.
- Organise children into small groups when they are making choices so that they feel they are receiving sufficient adult attention.
- Explain the activities on offer and how many children can do each.
- Support the children's understanding by naming each play area.
- Allow each child in turn time and attention to communicate their decision to help them become purposeful about what they want to do.
- Let the children take the lead in planning what they are going to do.
- Deploy props to help children choose. Children are often less inhibited expressing their ideas over a toy telephone or via a third party. And large shells provide a beautiful, slightly mysterious and novel way to relay messages.
- Use these props in different voices, pitches and intonations and imitate children in their responses. Use other languages too children love to listen to foreign languages.
Taking charge
Give children responsibility over the running of the nursery. This will develop their self-confidence, independence skills and ability to work co-operatively and to appreciate the contributions of others in shared tasks. Children given responsibilities for their environment are also more likely to care about it and encourage others to do likewise.
Good practice
- Ensure resources are safe, accessible and presented systematically and represent all six areas of learning.
- Act as a good role model by promoting clean and tidy habits in dress and presentation.
- Devise housekeeping systems that give sufficient time and motivate children - boys and girls - to take part.
How to proceed
- Give children tasks that are achievable, such as setting the table.
- Encourage children to take turns to fulfil these daily duties so that they can look forward to their turn and to receiving praise for completing the tasks. Children respond well when praised individually and in front of the whole group.
- Set out children's tasks, such as feeding the fish, on a chart to remind them of their daily tasks, involve them in written planning and as a means for them to tell their parents about their important responsibilities.
- Ensure that resources are easy to handle and put away after tasks are completed. For example, provide real mops with shortened handles.
- Include caring for the nursery in your curriculum planning and monitor children's progress.
Caring for each other
Give older children some responsibility for the well-being of younger children to promote their concern for others. The ability to respond to others needs will only develop when they have acquired a degree of self-confidence and a belief that adults who care for them can share their love equally with all the children in the group.
Ask older children to reflect on their experiences and feelings when they were younger to encourage them to think about and take greater responsibility for their actions. The older children will find they become role models for the younger ones who imitate their behaviour. Encourage parents to let the older children assume similar responsibilities at home.
Good practice
- Organise social groups consisting of older and younger children.
- Plan to give older children specific responsibility for younger children during activities.
- Encourage older children to act as role models and to engage younger children in communication.
- Provide planned activities that can be run by older children.
- n Be aware of when and when not to intervene in older children's activities and games.
- Make everyone - adults and children - feel they are making a valuable contribution.
- Provide activities that enable children to voice their opinion and feel part of decision-making.
Practical ideas
- Ask older children to make shakers for the younger children or babies.
- Encourage older children to explain their choices to establish the play value of the shakers.
- Promote childrens confidence in ICT by pairing less confident children with more confident ones at the computer or when using the tape recorder. Emphasise the skills of the more confident child so that the less confident one learns to note the elected mentors actions and comments.
- Let older children help develop younger children's physical skills outdoors. Less confident children are more likely to learn these skills by imitating children of a similar size. The older children gain in self-esteem through the younger children's confidence in them and the adults' praise.
Discussing feelings
Ensure that children feel confident about reflecting on and expressing their feelings within a social group that values everyone's contribution, and allow plenty of time for discussions. Regular discussion will encourage children to question their own perceptions and judgements and help them empathise.
Good practice
- Provide planned opportunities for children to talk in small groups about their ideas and experiences.
- Use open-ended questions.
- Introduce vocabulary to support children's ability to express their ideas.
- Show the interest and concern necessary to establish a relaxed atmosphere in which children feel safe to express their ideas.
How to proceed
- Set aside time at the beginning and end of each day for children to discuss what they did the previous evening and that day.
- After lunch, allocate time to discuss what may have occurred at playtime or in the dinner hall.
- Use small group sessions to initiate discussions about tasks or children's reactions to stories or events in their lives.
- Share your own views. Adult confidences often prompt children to think about and voice their own feelings.
- Develop projects that require children to make decisions, such as choosing pieces of their work to go into folders or giving children responsibility, on a rota, for display boards.