Birth to 3 years: Personal, Social and Emotional Development
When I am a baby:
- I learn and develop best when you consistently give me loving, warm and responsive care
- When you comfort me, I feel calm
- I am beginning to develop my sense of self by interacting with you and other important people
- I can show you what I like and don’t like
- I can show you I need something by using eye contact, gesture and words. I can point to or look at my cup to tell you that I want a drink
- I am learning to cope with feeling sad when you leave me. I might need a special object or lots of cuddles to feel safe and happy
- I am becoming more confident around a wider group of people
- I will look back at you when I crawl or walk away to check you are still there
- I like to see you smile to encourage me
- I am learning to feel more confident to play on my own and with other children
- I am learning to feel confident when I am exploring new places with my key person
- I feel safe and secure with my key person to show my emotions
- I am becoming more and more independent. This means I can sometimes get frustrated when I want to do something by myself
When I am a bit older:
- I am beginning to understand how to wait for my turn and learning to control my feelings when I want something
- I am learning how to talk about how I am feeling. This helps me to manage my feelings
- I am interested in other people. I notice and ask questions about differences such as skin colour, types of hair, gender, special needs and disabilities and religion
- I am learning how to make friends with other children
- I am learning about other feelings through stories and play
- I am learning to talk about how I feel and using more words to do this: “I’m sad because….” or “I love it when…”
- I am beginning to show you that I am ready to use the potty