Emotional Development in Children

A collection of attributes, abilities, attitudes, and values that define an individual. It's how we perceive ourselves.

Young children's self-concept is primarily based on their appearance, everyday behaviors, and possessions.

The judgments we make about our own worth and the accompanying feelings we associate with those judgments.

Preschoolers gain skills in emotional understanding, emotional self-regulation, self-conscious emotions, and empathy.

Empathy involves feeling with another person, while sympathy involves feeling for another person. Children struggling with emotional regulation might experience personal distress when empathizing, rather than feeling true sympathy.

The ability to think rationally and choose actions according to values, even when faced with emotional challenges.

For children with poor emotional regulation, empathy can lead to personal distress rather than to sympathy. This happens because they struggle to manage their own feelings.

There are four common types of peer sociability in play among children: nonsocial activity, parallel play, associative play, and cooperative play.

Factors that contribute to overweight in middle childhood include genetics, socioeconomic status, early rapid weight gain, family eating habits like overfeeding and food rewards, lack of physical activity, excessive screen time, and early malnutrition.

China is experiencing a significant increase in childhood obesity.

Addressing childhood obesity involves two main approaches: Family-based interventions focus on changing family eating habits and activity levels, while school-based interventions aim to promote healthy choices and physical activity within the school environment.

The most frequent unintentional injuries in middle childhood are caused by motor vehicles and bicycles.

Informal play refers to unstructured activities with rules but not formally organized sports, like games played with friends. It is declining in industrialized countries due to concerns about neighborhood safety, competition from technology, and the rise of adult-organized sports.

Participation in adult-organized youth sports is generally linked to enhanced self-esteem and social skills.

Valid criticisms of adult-organized youth sports include an overemphasis on competition, adult control, potential social ostracism of weaker performers, especially boys.

To make organized sports developmentally appropriate, focus on building on children's interests, teaching age-appropriate skills, emphasizing enjoyment, limiting practice duration, focusing on personal improvement, discouraging unhealthy competition, and allowing children to contribute to rules and strategies.

The ability to order items based on a measurable characteristic, like size or weight.

The ability to mentally arrange items in order without physically manipulating them.

Using words from one language while speaking another.

Attention becomes more selective, planful, and flexible.

Rehearsal: repeating information; Organization: grouping related items; Elaboration: creating connections between information.

Whole Language: Exposes children to complete text from the beginning. Phonics: Focuses on sound-letter relationships.

Applying strategies, acquiring relevant knowledge, and self-regulating.

Solving novel problems and automating skills to free up working memory for complex thinking.

The ability to understand that others may have different viewpoints than your own.

A mental image of who we want to be, used to evaluate our actual selves.

Children use four criteria to judge themselves: academic, social, physical/athletic, and physical appearance.

Factors like cultural values, gender stereotypes, parenting practices, and achievement attributions all shape self-esteem.

Success is attributed to ability, failure is seen as an opportunity to improve, and the focus is on learning.

Failure is blamed on lack of ability, success is attributed to luck, and the focus is on proving competence.

Children may develop prejudices when authority figures create hierarchies and favor certain groups.

Intergroup contact can reduce prejudice if children have equal status, work towards common goals, become personally acquainted, and are encouraged by authority figures to interact.

This theory suggests that intelligence is not a single, general ability, but rather a collection of different abilities or intelligences. Each individual possesses these intelligences to varying degrees, leading to unique strengths and learning styles.

This intelligence involves sensitivity to spoken and written language, ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language effectively for communication and expression.

This intelligence involves the ability to think logically, reason deductively, and solve mathematical problems effectively. It involves the ability to analyze and manipulate information.

This intelligence involves the ability to recognize, create, and appreciate musical patterns and rhythms. It involves the understanding and use of music.

This intelligence involves the ability to visualize, manipulate, and reason about objects in three-dimensional space. It includes the ability to perceive and create mental images.

This intelligence involves the ability to use one's body skillfully and to coordinate bodily movements. It includes the ability to learn by doing.

This intelligence involves the ability to recognize, classify, and understand patterns in nature. It includes the ability to identify and observe plants and animals.

This intelligence involves the ability to understand and interact effectively with others. It includes the ability to communicate, build relationships, and empathize.

This intelligence involves the ability to understand oneself, including one's own feelings, motivations, and goals. It includes the ability to self-reflect and regulate.

Divorce can immediately lead to instability, conflict, a drop in income, parental stress, and a disorganized family life. These consequences are impacted by the children's age, temperament, and sex.

While many children adjust well after two years, some experience more difficulties, especially boys and children with challenging temperaments. The extent of the father's involvement also plays a crucial role in their adjustment.

There are several ways to support families during divorce: divorce mediation offers a structured platform for negotiation, parent education programs provide tools for navigating the process, joint custody encourages shared responsibility for the children, and child support ensures financial stability for the non-custodial parent.

The most prevalent type of blended family involves a mother and her children from a previous relationship, who then marries a stepfather. This accounts for approximately 7 out of 8 blended family structures.

When mothers work, it can positively impact children's development in several ways: they often have higher self-esteem, improved family and peer relationships, fewer gender stereotypes, better grades, and experience more father involvement.