Chapter 1414.1- Emotional Development from Four to Six

14.2- Social and Moral Development from Four to Six

Chapter 14Section 1- Emotional Development from Four to Six

Emotional Patterns

Independence is the one characteristic that marks most clearly the emotional development of this age group.

Emotional Development 4 Year Olds

• Still very self-centered• Defiant, impatient, loud, and boastful

• Want to see themselves as separate from parents or caregivers

• Vocabulary and language skills show clear improvements• Test out new sounds of language or

making up words• Using rude words to see how adults

will react

• Big imagination• Typically has a hard time separating

reality from fantasy

Emotional Development5 Year Olds

• Begin to view themselves as a whole person (with a body, mind, and feelings)

• Eager to explore the world but may be fearful of unfamiliar people, places, and experiences

• Age when kindergarten begins• May experience anxiety or stress

• Emotionally impulsive• They try to wander around, talk, and

play whenever they want• In school they learn to control these

impulses

• Empathy is shown more for others• Empathy is the ability to understand

how someone else feels

Emotional Development6 Year Olds

• Period of emotional turmoil or a state of extreme confusion• Some are in school for the full day• Trouble finding their role outside the home

• Crave praise and approval

• Stubborn and quarrelsome

• Try to please others only to get praise for themselves

• May resent being given direction

• Rapid mood changes• Love, hate, reject, and accept, smile, and

rage• Stronger feelings of happiness and joy

Specific Emotions: Anger

• Changes the most out of any emotion

• Show angry freely without restraint• Biting, kicking, and hitting

• Preschoolers are less likely than toddlers to express their angry with physical violence

• 4 Year Old: angry episode lasts longer, may use physical violence, or threaten and attempt to get even

• 5 Year Old: more likely to hurt other children’s feelings than to hurt them physically

• 6: Year Old: even more hurtful with words; they tease, insult, nag, and make fun of others

Specific Emotions: Anger

• Frustration is a major cause of anger • Children’s tolerance for frustration

increases with age• Earlier frustrations are eliminated as

skills improve

• Disagreements with other children are the most common cause of anger• Most quarrels are verbal and loud, 5

and 6 year olds begin to conceal and disguise their feelings

• Methods of revenge are indirect

• Some take out anger on a scapegoat; sibling, parent, toy, etc.

• Criticism can also cause anger• May cause a child to act out because

of their feelings being hurt

Specific Emotions: Fear• Imagination is a major emotional

force in children from 4 to 6• Many of their fears center on

imaginary dangers• Fears of ghosts, thunder,

lightening, the dark, being left alone

• Some children fear stem from school • Afraid of being criticized by a

teacher or teased by others

• Here are some ways to deal with it• Accept the fear• Let the child express the fear

without ridicule• Help the child feel able to face the

fear

Specific Emotions: Jealousy

• Sibling rivalry is jealousy of brothers and sisters and is common during this period

• Children express feelings of jealousy through tattling, criticizing or lying

• Some may react by boasting

• Parents can help children work through feelings of jealousy by encouraging cooperation and empathy• Avoid taking sides and give

children a chance to work on their own problems

Specific Emotions: Worry

• Tension is another word for emotional stress

• A child’s imagination contributes to the stress that they experience

• Children may also develop physical symptoms of worry• Stomach aches, headaches, and

sleeping problems

• Children may cry, scream, or throw temper tantrums

• Children may also express tension by biting their nails, swinging their legs, or grinding their teeth

• Ways to reduce stress for children• Look for the cause

• Give children time to calm down

• Provide chances to get rid of tension

• Read a book about the issue causing stress

• Maintain normal limits on behavior

Self-Confidence

• Self-confidence is belief in one’s own abilities

• Initiative is the motivation to accomplish more• Preschoolers start taking

initiative

• According to Erik Erikson, children that do this gain self-confidence• Repeated discouragement

can lead to feelings of inferiority or inadequacy

• Children in this age see things as all or nothing

• Best way to help preschoolers with self-confidence

• Showing respect

• Offering praise

• Planning activities

• Encouraging individuality

Chapter 14 Section 2: Social and Moral Development

General Social Patterns

• As children enter preschool and kindergarten they need to learn new social skills• How to interact with new people• How to make friends• How to work and play in organized groups• Take direction • Accept authority from someone outside the home

• A peer is someone close to one’s own age• Children must refine their social skills to interact

with their peers

4 Years Old

• Form friendships with their playmates

• Spend more time in cooperative play• Play in groups of 3 or 4

• Can take turns and share

• Bossy and inconsiderate so fights may occur

• Family is still most important

5 Year Olds

• More outgoing and talkative

• Play in groups of 5 or 6• Play is more complicated

• Fights break out less• If fights occur, a 5-year old will result to name-calling and wild

threats

• More respect for others belongings

• Social acceptance by peers is more important• 5-year olds are more concerned about what their friends say and do

• Start to gossip about other children • Typically it is about who they consider a friend or who has the best

toys

6 Year Olds

• Social relations are often classified by:• Friction, threats, and stubbornness

• Jealousy of others toys may occur

• Best friends at this age are typically the same sex although play at this age is in mixed groups

• They have no regard for team effort

• If they are tired of playing a game, they will often just up and leave without “formally quitting”

Family Relations

• Family relations change during this age group

• Feel close ties to home and want to feel important in the family• The are proud to help

with chores• Sibling rivalry

Moral Development

• Moral development are the beliefs about what is right and wrong

• Beginning to understand the reasons behind rules

• They start developing a conscience• An inner sense of right and wrong that guides

peoples behaviors and judgments

• What they learn about moral development during this stage stays with them for life

Guidelines for Moral Development

• Set clear standards of behavior

• Teach children reasons for the rules

• Respond to inappropriate behavior

• Deal with problems immediately

• Talk about mistakes in private

• Children this age do not like to be criticized

• Understand that children will test the limits

• This is a sign they are understanding the correct behavior

• Consider the child’s age and abilities

• It is a lifelong task to learn self-discipline

• Praise their steps in the right direction

• Continue to show love despite misbehavior

Handling Lying

• Children often confuse stories for real life• Most of the time lies are not deliberate deceptions• Adults can help by showing them they see the difference• “ I will listen to your story but then I want to know what

really happened.”

• Sometimes a statement that sounds like a lie is really a misunderstanding• “I did what you told me” – a child here may believe the

task is done when then adult considers it unfinished

• Help children separate fact from fiction

When are Lies Deliberate?

• To get attention

• To avoid punishment

• To please others and not risk losing love

• When dealing with a child who is lying:• Does the child know that what he said is not true?• Why might the child be lying?• Do you need more information about the situation?• Is the child asking for more attention?

Model Moral Behavior

• Model it in everyday actions

• Moral behavior is a learned behavior

• Influence of peers increases as children spend more time away from home• Language and speech patterns are picked up during this age• They notice that friends families may live by different rules

• Television, movies, and other media also influence what children learn• Parents need to be aware of what their children are watching• Some shows may depict values that your family does not live by

Resolving Conflict

• Preschoolers might resort to aggressive behavior• Aggressive behavior is hostile and at times

destructive that people display when face with conflict

• Hitting, biting, pushing, and forcibly taking objects away from others are examples of aggressive behavior

Suggestions for Resolving Conflicts

• Urge children to talk about their feelingsEX: When Carla’s father heard her lash out at

her friend Erin, “I hate you, you’re ugly,” he sat her down and asked them to talk about how they were feeling. Carla admitted she was mad because Erin used up the markers

• Acknowledge the efforts of children to resolve conflicts

• Model appropriate behavior

Competition

• Competition is rivalry with the goal of winning or outperforming others

• Some say children benefit from competition because it stimulates individual efforts and promotes higher standards• Helps children gain a realistic

view of their own abilities in relation to others

• Shows them how to be a graceful loser