Perhaps one of the most influential areas of development is the social and emotional domain. This involves processes by which children gain understanding of themselves, their emotions, and the connections between themselves and others. Social and emotional development is impacted by cognitive and language domains since the capacity for complex thinking and information integration is needed to develop and maintain relationships.

Social and emotional skills are built through everyday interactions. This means that there are many daily opportunities for children to learn about themselves and others. This also means that there are many opportunities for challenges as children learn how to regulate their emotions and build new skills. The interactions we have with our primary caregivers set the foundation for our social and emotional development. The role of caregivers during the first three years of a child’s life is that of a role model. Children learn by what they see and they imitate what they learn. This is why it is important for caregivers to model positive and prosocial behaviors and to be responsive to their child’s individual needs.

Temperament is an important area of social and emotional growth. Temperament refers to the innate characteristics of a child such as mood, activity level, and emotional reactivity. While every child differs in their temperament, most children are ready and willing to connect with others through meaningful interactions. According to the Harvard Center for the Developing Child, “young children naturally reach out for interaction through babbling, facial expressions, and gestures, and adults respond with the same kind of vocalizing and gesturing back at them. In the absence of such responses—or if the responses are unreliable or inappropriate—the brain’s architecture does not form as expected, which can lead to disparities in learning and behavior” (Center on the Developing Child, 2007). Adverse experiences, or those that are harmful or negative, can disrupt the formation of healthy skills, knowledge, and social interactions.

While many biological and genetic factors influence our growth, we can all agree that the early interactions we have with the adults that care for us set the stage for lifelong social and emotional learning. In the following sections, we will examine how attachment and bonding form the foundation for future relationships and a child’s sense of self. We will also look at temperament and emotional expression and discuss how they influence parent-child interactions. Lastly, we will discuss the importance of play and explore how various cultural and social factors impact parenting and behavior in infancy and toddlerhood.