Outcomes of Early Social-Emotional Skills

“Why are social-emotional skills important?” asks Joe Magliano in an article in Psychology Today.

He answers this way: “Early social-emotional skills are related to how socially, emotionally, academically and professionally skilled we are later in life. For example, having higher social-emotional skills in kindergarten is related to important outcomes at age 25 (Jones, Greenberg, & Crowley, 2015). These outcomes include:

• Educational success, such as completing a college degree
• Career success, such as an increased likelihood of being employed
• Other key life outcomes, such as being less likely to have problems with the police."

In her article, “Granting Children their Emotions,” which forms the basis for an Out of the Box Training Kit, author Ilse Elisabeth Plattner writes about the importance of validating children’s feelings from an early age. She gives many examples of how parents or teachers may unwittingly squelch children’s emotional development. Here’s one example:

“Luca, eighteen months old, is playing with some toys in the living room. All of a sudden he starts shouting for joy. The parents, watching TV, shout, both at the same time 'Lucaa!' (meaning 'Be quiet!')."

Plattner challenges all of us to spend time reflecting on how often we may give children the message that their feelings are not welcome or accepted.

Source: “Why a Child’s Social-Emotional Skills Are So Important,” by Joe Magliano, PhD, Psychology Today, January 30, 2017

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