10 tips for social-emotional learning in early childhood development

Ten top tips for supporting early SEL

1. Play: Babies are playing and learning right from birth.
2. Engage in back-and-forth interactions.
3. Notice and respond to young children’s signals.
4. Use sounds, facial expressions, gestures, and movements to keep interactions engaging and exciting.
5. Incorporate the Five Characteristics of Learning Through Play into your everyday interactions.
6. Remember that early experiences shape developing brains and SEL.
7. Provide a safe, secure, and enriching environment so babies and toddlers can play and explore safely.
8. Routines provide young children with consistency and stability, helping them feel safe and cared for.
9. Your health and wellbeing is really important for you and your child, even really young children are perceptive of the stress of the adults around them!
10. Finally, don’t put too much pressure yourself! Remember that you’re already doing lots to support development and SEL without realising!