Social and emotional development refers to a child’s ability to efficiently understand the feelings of others as well as the ability to control their behaviors and feelings ( Dowling, 2014) . Further, the social and emotional development comprises of a child's ability to build lasting relationships with adults as well as other children. Infants perceive, express, and experience emotions before they can efficiently understand them; the infants learn to label, recognize, communicate, and manage their emotions as well as those of others, which plays an essential role connecting with the community, peers, and family. Such capacities enable children to gain competence in negotiating complex social interactions and participating in group activities, which presents children with the advantages of social support that are vital in supporting healthy human functioning and development.
Social-emotional skills enable children to develop such skills as following directions, cooperation, paying attention, and demonstrating self-control. The social-emotional development comprises of both interpersonal and intra-personal processes. However, healthy social and emotional development is expressed in the interpersonal contexts among toddlers and infants, mainly through the relationships with nurturing and familiar adults ( Denham, Bassett & Zinsser, 2012) . Adults are primarily responsible for supporting the earliest emotional regulation experiences in infants. The vital issues that relate to social-emotional development in childhood include the significance of play in childhood and child-parent attachment. Play helps in increasing a child's emotional maturity and social competence since it equips children with crucial interaction skills that enhance social development ( Milteer, Ginsburg & Mulligan, 2012) . Play provides children with an opportunity to practice their communication, both verbal and nonverbal through appreciating the feelings of others and negotiating roles.
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Further, play provides children with an opportunity to respond to the feelings of their peers through waiting and sharing experiences. Additionally, play allows children to experience other people’s points of view operating positively through conflicts regarding materials, space, and rules. Finally, play grants children an opportunity to experiment the roles of others by interacting with the wishes and needs of others. Several measures can be implemented to improve play skills in children ( Milteer, Ginsburg & Mulligan, 2012) . First, exposing age-appropriate play is crucial in enhancing play skills; play changes with time, from self-focused play in toddlers, parallel play, and finally, interactive play in older children. The second approach involves managing play experiences to prepare children for interactive play in future. Thirdly, creating play spaces is crucial in helping children to play and explore without interfering with each other for the optimal development of play skills.
On the other hand, child-parent attachment develops as children build relationships with elder people in their environment for purposes of protection. Caregivers act as a refuge for children to explore the world ( Pallini et al., 2014) . Over time, children tend to develop mental images of the relationships based on their experiences with the adults in their environment. Further, the children utilize the mental images of the relationships to predict the world in general as well as the future interactions. Responsive caregiving is one of the most effective approaches to improving child-parent attachment. Responsive or sensitive caregiving involves a parenting style where parents are informed about the physical and emotional needs of the children, and they focus on responding consistently and appropriately to the needs ( Pallini et al., 2014) . The caregiving approach helps infants in developing emotional regulation skills, as well as in developing a sense of safety, predictability, and responsiveness within their social environments. High-quality child-parent relations enhance the likelihood of positive social-emotional outcomes in young children since such relationships expose children to social relations through predictable interactions and exploration.
Possible Problems
The possible key problems associated with poor social-emotional development in childhood include behavioral problems and lack of social competence ( Ford & Stein, 2016) . The risk factors associated with the problems include undesirable environments, such as environments characterized by violence, drug abuse, and child neglect, and poor mother-child interactions, such as in cases where mothers are mentally ill. The behavioral problems, which may include conduct disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders among others, may be addressed by providing with an ideal environment that is free from the factors that hinder the efficient development of social competence, emotional regulation, and attachment in children. Children learn and predict future interactions from the relationships that they build with the people in their immediate environments ( Pallini et al., 2014) . Thus, children that are exposed to neglect, abuse, and violence are likely to demonstrate poor impulse and emotional control, poor interaction skills, and the use of violence in solving problems.
On the other hand, equipping children with useful play skills is essential in resolving the problem of the lack of social competence. The play is crucial in the development of several aspects of a child's social and emotional competence. Play helps children to develop their nonverbal and verbal communication skills, which are essential for the enhancement of a child's negotiating skills ( Milteer, Ginsburg & Mulligan, 2012) . Further, play enables children to understand the feelings of others through such elements of play as waiting and sharing of the play items. Also, play provides children with opportunities to interact with the desires and needs of others, which is essential in helping children to understand the feelings of others and respond to such needs appropriately.
Quiz Questions
State the critical risk factors for poor social-emotional development in children
How does the environment influence social-emotional development in childhood?
Why is maternal mental health crucial in social-emotional development during childhood?
What are the benefits of play in social-emotional development in children?
References
Denham, S. A., Bassett, H. H., & Zinsser, K. (2012). Early childhood teachers as socializers of young children’s emotional competence. Early Childhood Education Journal , 40 (3), 137-143.
Dowling, M. (2014). Young children's personal, social and emotional development . Sage.
Ford, N. D., & Stein, A. D. (2016). Risk factors affecting child cognitive development: a summary of nutrition, environment, and maternal–child interaction indicators for sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of developmental origins of health and disease , 7 (2), 197-217.
Milteer, R. M., Ginsburg, K. R., & Mulligan, D. A. (2012). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bond: Focus on children in poverty. Pediatrics , 129 (1), e204-e213.
Pallini, S., Baiocco, R., Schneider, B. H., Madigan, S., & Atkinson, L. (2014). Early child–parent attachment and peer relations: A meta-analysis of recent research.
