![]() Over hundreds or even thousands of trials, your child will begin to internalize this process. She’ll start to say to herself, ‘This is hard but I can do it,’ or your son will say, ‘It’s scary but I’m ok.’ Children learn to use their thoughts and words to manage feelings and organize their behavior based on these many interactions with you over time…And it’s this ability to cope with strong feelings and handle behavior in socially acceptable ways that is the essence of self-regulation, which is also one of the best predictors of achievement and well-being throughout the life-span.” You’re safe,’ or you encourage your child to persist in a task by labeling their feelings, ‘You’re feeling so frustrated because that puzzle piece doesn’t fit! You can try again and it might fit,’ your child is building connections between thoughts, feelings, and soothing. Every time you respond to a frightened child with comforting words, ‘Oh…that was scary. Lots of practice and repetition are needed. Toddlers, writes Klein, “need to experience events over and over (and over!) again to master them, especially something as hard as managing strong emotions. This linking between thinking and emotion happens in the hundreds of small interactions your child has with you and other important people every single day. Every time you comfort your child or walk them through a routine, you are helping form these connections.” Above all, remember: “They really cannot manage intense or negative emotions too well (yet), and stopping themselves from doing something they should not is equally hard at this age.” This network develops over many, many life events. But connections take years (many!) to create and become automatic. In fact, this is the most important learning and wiring occurring in toddler brain development. ![]() Through the toddler years, connections are being made between the higher level of the brain and the emotional centers. Toddlers often feel the full force of an emotional response without having the ability to rationally ‘think’ their way out of it. But for toddlers this difference is even more dramatic. “All of us experience our emotions long before our reasoning kicks in.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |