This video lesson is designed for parents to help understand the emotional needs of 3-6-year-old children. It guides through the importance of social and emotional skills and needs for setting up a positive environment for the children.
Maria Montessori was amazed by the attention young children paid to Grace and Courtesy lessons in her first Casa De Bambini or House of Children. She once said, ” The fundamental problem in education is the social one.” She observed that there is a gap between the social and emotional connection between children and adults. Therefore, there is a need to establish a positive relationship between them.
Why there is a Need to Develop Social and Emotional Skills?
Children at an early age are still learning to control their emotions and understand them. By age 3, children will show gratitude to adults who assist them in adapting to their environment, providing them with an avenue for expressing their emotions. Typically, children can identify their feelings by the age of four or five and begin to control them.
During this age, children emulate us; therefore, it becomes imperative for us to exhibit positive behavior. It includes taking care of oneself, learning about basic social skills, and paying attention to what we say and do around children.
Unavoidable situations like the pandemic 2019 are the time to retrospect, bond, and create an environment for acceptance and mutual respect. In this way, parents gain a deeper understanding of their children’s emotions and can convert them into productive actions.
We as parents need to understand why a child has a temper, tantrums, emotional outbursts, or unexpected behavior, like difficulty in describing their feelings or difficulty in communicating their needs.
Addressing such problems helps us to develop the social and emotional skills of the child.
How do Montessori Classrooms Inculcate Positive Social Behavior in Children?
There are many ways in which Montessori education helps to inculcate positive social behavior in children in a Montessori classroom. Children cannot step on other’s mats or steal materials from other children; instead, they are free to observe. They can walk around the classroom and choose the material they have been presented with. Let us learn how?
- Grace and courtesy lessons: One of the tenets of Montessori philosophy is the principle of “grace and courtesy.” Simply put, it is about helping children learn and understand polite social norms. In a Montessori classroom, the child can learn the importance of grace and courtesy in many ways. For example, bringing the activity tray to the shelf or even keeping it back on the shelf once the work is done.
- Building maturity at home: Montessori activities are used to reinforce social behavior gently rather than forcefully. We as parents need to develop the maturity to understand the child’s behavior and help them express their emotions. The freedom and independence to express themselves and build greater maturity.
- Building emotional intelligence through activities: In a Montessori classroom, a child develops emotional intelligence through structured activities and interactions. Besides satisfying their inner needs, realizing their personal development will make them happier. Child
- Developing emotional intelligence through self-direction: In a Montessori classroom, children are given the freedom to self-direct their learning. They can engage in self-governance at an early age, which is an essential element of emotional development. Instead of rewarding and punishing children, Montessori teachers help them develop emotional intelligence that lasts a lifetime.
- Developing concentration: Montessori education emphasizes majorly on early childhood development by working with them side-by-side. This helps in developing concentration, independence, and confidence, which helps in overall development.
Watch the video for the simple guidelines that could help set up a positive environment & activities at home for the children and the activities to promote emotional intelligence.
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Video created by Aishwarya | I teach I learn
Primary | Practical Life | Social and Emotional Skills (English)
This video has been added and used with the author’s permission. It is also available on the author’s YouTube, here.
Tags
- child development
- English
- Practical Life
- primary
