Social-Emotional Milestones and Recommended Activities|Homework help

Social-emotional milestones refer to the development of a child’s ability to understand and express emotions, as well as to interact with others. These milestones include:

• Birth to 6 months: Crying to express needs, responding to familiar people and voices
• 6 to 12 months: Beginning to show a range of emotions, responding to other people’s emotions, beginning to show a social smile
• 12 to 18 months: Beginning to use gestures, such as pointing, to communicate, beginning to participate in simple social games, such as peek-a-boo
• 18 to 24 months: Beginning to understand and use simple words and phrases, beginning to show more complex emotions, such as frustration or disappointment
• 2 to 3 years: Understanding and using more complex language, beginning to understand and follow simple rules, beginning to show empathy
• 3 to 4 years: Understanding and using more complex language, beginning to understand and follow more complex rules, beginning to show more advanced social skills, such as sharing and cooperating with others

Recommended activities to support social-emotional development include:

• Reading books with children and talking about the characters’ emotions
• Playing games that involve taking turns and sharing
• Encouraging children to use words to express their emotions
• Modeling and teaching children how to use problem-solving skills and coping strategies
• Encouraging children to participate in group activities and social interactions
• Encouraging children to spend quality time with family and friends
• Building positive relationships with their teachers and other adults in their lives.