When thinking about the stages of emotional development of a child you can think of childhood as a journey that is meant to teach children deal with different kinds of emotions.
You have to remember that every child develops at their own pace, but there are some stages that they all have to go through.
Learning to trust
During the first couple of years, the babies learn to bond and to trust people. Generally speaking, the baby learns to recognize the face of the mother after 4-6 months. After this, follow the social games and the little one learns to give and take objects. It takes 9 months for the babies to start to distinguish the familiar and unknown faces.
Developing will
The two year olds go through another one of children’s emotional development stages. They feel in control. This is why they will have mood shifts, they will become stubborn and they could present negativism and tantrums. This is when they want to have everything their way. Usually in this period, the children experience separation anxiety.
Play stage
This one of the stages of emotional development of a child is characterized by playing. During this time, the children can widen their social skills. They will play with other children, becoming more socially active. This stage is often marked by the presence of an imaginary friend.
Competency
This children’s stage of emotional development represents the shift from free-form play and imagination to organized learning and group sports. They will learn how to handle other people. During this time, the children can already express their feelings and they start keeping and sharing secrets.
Adolescence
The parents wondering about the stages of emotional development of a child know that this is the most difficult time in a child’s life. The children are searching for their identity while trying to be free of their parents, although they are still dependent on them. At this stage, the approval of friends is more important than the approval of the parents.
During this emotional development stage of the child, he or she sometimes acts like an adult and other times as a child. Although adolescence can be stormy, with time the relationships will get better.
In order to be able to communicate with their children, the parents have to understand the stages of emotional development of a child.
