2. Supporting Children & Youth with
Social-Emotional Ne eds
Table of Contents
Understanding Social-Emotional Needs . . . . . . . 2
Exploring Emotions and the Brain . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Modeling Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Program Supports & Accommodations . . . . . . . 10
Resources for Program Personnel . . . . . . . . . . 12
Recommended Book List for Children . . . . . . . . 14
Recommended Book List for Teens . . . . . . . . . 15
List of References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Supporting Social-Emotional Needs 1
3. Understanding Social-Emotional Needs
Social-emotional development begins at a very young has trouble controlling their behavior in a group setting
age, and continues throughout our lifetime. It impacts to a person with a diagnosis from a medical
how we communicate, solve problems, control our be- professional. Diagnosis examples include anxiety or
havior, interact with others and develop relationships. attachment disorder, depression, bipolar disorder,
obsessive compulsive disorder, and more.
Early childhood experiences shape social-emotional
development. During development, children and youth Child and youth professionals who support social-
learn to recognize and gain control of their feelings and emotional development make a difference in the lives
actions. of those they care for.
Children will enter your program at all levels of Many children and youth develop social-emotional
social-emotional ability. skills naturally, and some need to be taught these skills
by caring and patient adults. You may need to provide
It is estimated that as many as 1 in 5 children are impacted support in the following areas:
by a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder. Social-
• Controlling behavior during activities
emotional challenges can range from someone who
• Coping with anger and negative emotions
• Handling mood, thoughts and energy levels
• Interacting with peers
• Solving problems and conflicts
Supporting Social-Emotional Needs 3
4. Exploring Emotions and the Brain
When a child or youth has needs that are not met, the
Steps to explore emotions
result can often be an emotional reaction. As child and
1. Label the emotion youth personnel, it is important to understand (and
2. Practice a coping technique help children and youth understand) that their brain
will react according to their emotions.
3. Identify the cause
4. Plan a course of action for next time When a person is angry or frustrated, the brain
responds by going into “survival mode,” or “fight or
Practicing these steps will enable a child or youth to
flight.” As the brain is busy responding to the emotion,
have greater control over their behavior and emotions.
the person can have trouble thinking rationally and
Support will lead to greater success for them in their re-
solving problems.
lationships and interactions with others, as well as the
ability to make better decisions during stressful times. As adults, we often try to talk with children and youth
when they are angry or upset and ask them to think
about what they could do differently. This may not yield
the results we are looking for.
Children and youth must learn to calm down and
regain control before they are able to solve prob-
lems or make decisions. The first step to helping
them calm down is to teach ways to identify when
they feel “out of control”.
Supporting Social-Emotional Needs 5
5. Emotions and the Brain Continued…
Teaching skills School-age children
We learn best when we are enjoying ourselves, so It Tell a story about a character getting frustrated and
is important to make learning skills as fun as possible. “freeze” the story so the children can come up with
Here are some ideas to help create awareness of ways for the character to regain control.
emotions for specific age groups.
Children can also create a collage with
pictures of people relaxing. Designate
Preschoolers a calm/relaxing space that is available
Point out the body language of characters that may for children to use.
be frustrated or angry in picture books. Ask the chil-
dren to explain how they can tell what the character is Teenagers
feeling. Take turns saying an emotion and making the Encourage teens to write scripts about conflicts that
appropriate expression and body language. focus on ways for people to relax and stay in control of
their actions.
Take pictures of the children making
various emotional expressions with Show a popular teen show or movie
their faces. Post the pictures and talk that demonstrates characters dealing
about what it feels like when you are with anger or frustration. Lead a
experiencing those emotions. discussion about whether their coping
strategies were positive or negative.
Supporting Social-Emotional Needs 7
6. Modeling Control
Children and youth have many demands placed on For example, you might say, “What she just did makes
them beginning at a young age. Some of these expec- me very angry. I am going to wait to talk to her later.”
tations include following directions, understanding Adults can also model how they look at the outcome
social cues and communicating effectively with others. of a difficult situation by saying, “I am glad I waited to
talk to her when I was calm. I was able to listen to her
These demands can require a great deal of self-regula- reason and understand why she acted the way she did.”
tion, or control. Self-regulation is the ability to regu-
late emotions, behavior, and social interactions, as For younger children, personnel can be specific and
well as control cognitive processes (such as attention). intentional about pointing out the things they do to
stay calm (“I take three deep breaths”), or laugh about
As child and youth personnel, it is important to model themselves and the “hard times” (“Oh my! I forgot our
how to handle difficult situations by “thinking out loud”. favorite CD! I wish I had a reminder button inside my
Our modeled behavior might not be apparent to chil- brain to help me remember”).
dren and youth; that is why it is beneficial to practice
this technique so they will pick up on modeled behavior
and the reasoning behind it.
Supporting Social-Emotional Needs 9
7. Program Supports & Accommodations
There are supports and accommodations for children happened and helping them solve the problem.
to help them successfully control their behavior. The
following are some basic tips for supporting social- Ask for partial participation in certain activities
emotional needs in your program. Many children have a hard time coping with stressful
situations. Help them develop their social-emotional
Follow a consistent routine and structure
skills by having them partially participate in difficult
Children and youth with social-emotional needs activities/situations. Increase the amount of time
often experience instability in their mood, energy, required at the activity as their coping abilities grow.
thinking and behavior. It is important to have a predict-
able environment to help them cope with the rise and Prepare for situations
fall in their mood and energy.
Identify the times or situations when children or youth
Offer comfort items and small fidgets need social-emotional support.
If free play tends to dis-
Fidgets can be a great way to help children focus on ac- rupt them, prepare for
tivities while providing an outlet for energy. Examples it ahead of time. Talk
of fidgets include pieces of felt or a small ball. about free time and
help develop a plan
Allow time after a negative experience
so they will be better
Wait until the child has recovered and has come into a prepared to deal with the
positive state of mind before talking about what situation in the future.
Supporting Social-Emotional Needs 11
8. Resources for Program Personnel
Videos and other resources ONLINE:
on supporting social-emotional needs
are available at kitonline.org . Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early
Learning (CEFEL), www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel.
Printable tools and resources for teaching social-emotional
While you’re there, sign in to KIT's online skills for younger children.
learning center -- the account is FREE! National Institute of Mental Health, www.nimh.nih.gov.
Educational resources for students and professionals, as well
as news on related topics.
The KIT Online Learning Center Includes: WINGS, www.wingsforkids.org/experience/hot-wings.
Social and emotional development activities and resources.
Instructional Videos
Webinars
BOOKS:
eLearning Modules
Articles Me, You, Us: Social-Emotional Learning in Preschool by Ann
Booklets Epstein (HighScope Educational Research Foundation, 2009).
Support Center Links
Unsmiling Faces: How Preschools Can Heal by Leslie Koplow
kitonline.org > click sign-in Earn CEUs and Certificates
(Teachers College Press, 2007).
of Completion!
Supporting Social-Emotional Needs 13
9. Recommended Book List for Children Recommended Book List for Teens
A Walk in the Rain with a Brain 104 Activities That Build: Self-Esteem, Teamwork, Communication,
by Edward Hallowell (Harper Collins, 2004). Anger Management, Self-Discovery, Coping Skills
by Alana Jones (Rec Room Publishing, 1998).
Making Friends
by Janine Amos (Cherrytree Books, 2000). Social Skills Picture Book for High School and Beyond
by Jed Baker (Future Horizons, Inc., 2006).
Sometimes I Feel Silly
by Jamie Lee Curtis (HarperCollins, 1998). The Social Success Workbook for Teens: Skill-Building Activities
for Teens with Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Asperger's Dis-
When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry order, and Other Social-Skill Problems
(Scholastic Audio Books, 2007). by Barbara Cooper and Nancy Widdows (Raincoast Books, 2008).
List of References
Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J., Self-regulation as a key to school readiness:
How early childhood teachers can promote this critical competency
(2006).
McIntyre, T., Teaching social skills to kids who don’t yet have them.
Learning Disabilities Online: ldonline.org (2003).
United States Department of Heath and Human Services Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA), 2010.
Zaslow, M. & Martinez-Beck, I., Critical issues in early childhood
professional development (pp. 203–224) Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
Supporting Social-Emotional Needs 15
