Some theory…

Emotional development is about…

Emotions are central to human relations. They have a communicative function that allows children to express their needs at a very young age. Emotions allow parents to respond to these needs by providing appropriate care (e.g., the child cries to indicate hunger). Then, with the arrival of language, emotions become more complex (e.g. ability to express anger, fear). Emotional development involves:

• Knowledge of emotions (e.g., the child has learned the names of different emotions)
• Understanding (e.g., the child knows that a person may be afraid of spiders)
• Recognition of emotions (e.g., the child recognizes anger in his mother’s face)
• Self-control (e.g., the child is able to say he is happy without giving way to the temptation to jump on the sofa)

Finally, it is important to understand that there is a close connection between the emotional maturity of the child and the level of his popularity among teachers or playmates.

Empathy, on the other hand, comes later. Some also use the term “social cognition” to designate this ability to be aware of the emotional state of others. One generally observes pro-social behaviours such as sharing, helping a friend finish something or consoling a friend towards the end of preschool age (4-5 years). These types of pro-social behaviour are but a few examples of the ability to place oneself in the place of another person and consider others’ ideas.

Can the child's development be stimulated through play?

To encourage the emotional development of your children, it is important to find a balance between supervising and leaving the child alone during playtime. Although “symbolic play” remains one of the best contexts for emotional development, miming, imitating and telling stories involving other people can also serve to achieve the goal (e.g., in the Emotions memory game, when the child finds an identical pair of sulky boys, he must indicate why he thinks the boys are sulking). By questioning your child about certain situations (e.g., do you think that your grandfather can also be sad?), you introduce the other’s conscience. It is important that interactions with the child in a context of play be positive and affectionate; this, in turn, prepares the child to interact positively with his peers.