Child development is full of changes that occur in relation to physical, cognitive, emotional and social aspects.
Children grow and, with them, their emotions become increasingly complex. Our support at this stage is essential to provide them with resources. Talking about emotional development is talking about the construction of each child's identity, their self-esteem and their security.
At birth, children have very basic first emotions that will develop. Knowing the stages of their emotional development allows us to better accompany them at every moment.
Let's look at the stages of emotional and child development:
- Crying It is the first way of expressing that the baby has, with it, they will express what they want or their discomfort. Crying captures the attention of adults and makes us satisfy their needs. This is how babies begin to interact with the outside world and their emotional tone will differ based on how we respond.
- Between the fourth and sixthYes, they begin to respond to the faces around them, to the gestures and looks. They babble a lot more and their need to communicate increases. At this stage you begin to distinguish facial expressions of happiness, anger, sadness and may even imitate them.
- In the seventh month He knows his space better and recognizes the people around him, which also causes him to react negatively to unknown faces. They begin to show more interest in other toys and communicate much more. At this stage, her mother separates herself a little more from the baby. To minimize the feeling of separation from her, it is important to maintain an organized and stable bond with her.
- At 10 months They imitate everything they can, especially facial gestures and emotions, this is how they learn to differentiate the reactions of adults. They begin to understand the jokes we make better and become funnier, especially in the presence of adults. They also begin to have attitudes that seek to provoke reactions in us (such as offering us something to take it back immediately afterwards) in order to feel recognized and learn to repeat the actions they believe are appropriate.
- over 13 months Their way of knowing the world will depend on the care and support they have received. They become more perceptive, they will be alert to our emotional state and that will affect the way they play or laugh. They will project the same love that is given to them, imitating and expressing those same emotions. The feeling of “everything is mine” develops due to the attention received, it is a transition stage and it is completely natural
- around 20 months, babies have been acquiring more independence and want to do many things by themselves, but they are still dependent and need the help of adults, something that can sometimes create some frustration. This is where tantrums begin, a reaction that allows them to express themselves with their whole body. We must remember that body language is their way of expressing themselves since they still cannot do it well with words. At this stage they will also discover one of their favorite words "NO" and jealousy will appear.
- At 24 months They will begin to feel a conflict between their degree of autonomy and the guidelines set by the adult. Not being able to manage their emotions causes them anguish and frustration, something that can sometimes end in a tantrum and they learn that their actions have a reaction from the adult. Symbolic play gains great strength in this process, children begin to play much more and in a very functional way, something that allows them to project and discharge their emotions. They also awaken their interest in art and reading and it is time to help them recognize their emotions.
