A Parent's Guide to Nurturing Happy Hearts

Emotional Development in Early Childhood

Dr. Megha Desai Shah, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Ahmedabad

As a parent, it can be difficult to help your child’s emotional development in early childhood. Understanding the varying emotional needs across different stages is crucial before identifying the indicators suggesting a child may require additional support.

Emotional development is all about Identifying, Expressing and Managing one’s own emotions as well as others.

Emotional development is a crucial part of a child's holistic development. It is a complex task which usually begins in infancy. Learning to manage and regulate emotions is a key aspect of emotional development.

Children who can regulate their emotions are better equipped to handle stress, frustration, and disappointment. This skill is essential for coping with life's challenges.

Emotional well-being in early childhood is linked to long-term mental health outcomes. Children who develop a strong emotional foundation are less likely to experience mental health challenges later in life.

Understanding Emotional Development

Infant 0-1 years:

During the first year of life, a baby’s emotional development is greatly influenced by the quality of their interaction with caregivers. The first few emotions or feelings are usually joy, happiness, anger and fear.

What can parents do? Parents can help foster these emotions by providing a safe and loving environment by means of physical touch, talking and singing to them, and responding promptly to their needs.

Toddler 1-3 years:

As kids grow and their sense of self develops and  they start discovering how to express various emotions. Now more complex emotions such as surprise, embarrassment, shame, guilt, shyness emerge. 

What can parents do? At this stage, parents can help them by providing opportunities to learn and explore through play, reading, meaningful conversations, storytelling. It’s very important to provide verbal cues or to acknowledge when a child acts appropriately or handle big emotions properly. It will instil self-confidence. It’s equally important to correct or guide them healthy and lovingly whenever kids express emotions inappropriately or struggle to handle their feelings. 

Preschooler 3-5 years:

At this stage they learn to recognise and express their emotions as well as understanding and accepting the emotions of others. This is an important phase of their life as they learn to navigate through various social interactions with peers and teachers.

What can parents do? Apart from providing a safe and secure environment where the child feels safe to express, parents play a very important role in providing guidance when a child can't understand their own emotions. Also make sure, you are actively listening to them, allow them to communicate without judgement. This will allow your child to feel that their feelings and emotions matter.

Signs of Emotional Difficulty in Kids

What to do if your child is struggling with emotional development?

Parents, caregivers, and educators play vital roles in fostering emotional development in early childhood.

Creating a supportive and nurturing environment, providing opportunities for expression, and modelling positive emotional behaviour all contribute to a child's emotional well-being during this crucial stage of development.

Seek professional help from mental health professionals to get the timely help when above signs persist in your child.