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Kindergarten Readiness: Social & Emotional Development

What Is Social & Emotional Development?

Children's development of positive social behaviors, and emotional and behavior regulation.

How Can I Teach This At Home?

Playing

1. Encourage children to play with others! This will help them develop social skills.

2. Make sure that play time is not rushed! Children should enjoy the time they get to play, with themselves or alone. Slowing down is important for children so they get the most out of their play time.

Reading

1. Read books about sharing to your child. This will help them learn how to work well with others.

2. Read about characters who are struggling to fit in. This will help children learn to accept themselves for who they are!

3. While you're reading with your child, ask them questions about the characters, such as "How do they feel? Do you ever feel that way?".

Singing

1. Creating music and singing with your child (either alone or together in a group setting) can help them learn more about social and behavioral development! This article is a great guide to the importance and influence of making music with your child.
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Talking

1. Talk with your child about the power their words can have. Children often don't understand how impactful their words can be. 

2. Talk to your child about other children their age to understand some of the social behaviors of their peers. Encourage them to share what they learned and talk about why other people's behaviors are positive or negative.

3. Talk to your child about patience. Children are oftentimes not patient, but learning to wait is a skill they will need to have when they go to school!

4. Talk to your children about safety. Understanding their boundaries and their comfort levels will help them develop positive social behaviors.

5. Ask your child to name all the members of their family!

Writing

1. Have children write about or draw things they enjoy to do. This will help them better identify positive social behaviors.

2. Have children draw a picture of their family.

Skills Checklist

Where Do I Start?

Need More?

The catalog for the Waco-McLennan County Library is available here!

If you want to search for more resources in our catalog in this subject, we suggest you search for the following subject headings:

For more assistance with searching and locating items held by the Waco-McLennan County Library, use our Ask a Librarian feature available on our catalog website or stop in to one of our branches!

The Waco-McLennan County Library provides patrons with access to resources through our Electronic Resources page, which can be found here. Suggested databases are listed below:

Did You Know?

A child's brain doubles in size during their first year of life - reaching a capacity of 80% of what their full adult brain will be by the time they are three years old!