By Julia Gorham
Raising young children is one of the toughest most important jobs, yet the most rewarding and fulling role we play in our children’s lives. As a parent, your first priority is to give your child the best start in life from a young age and this starts with their emotional development.
Here are a few handy tips for parents to enhance their young child’s emotional development.
- Teach your child to love and feel loved.
- Touch – hugs, pats, gentle squeezes, holding , rocking etc.
- Verbal – terms of endearments, tone of voice, expression of love.
- Help your child develop a sense of importance/contributions to her family, school etc.
- Affirmation of value to your child.
- Sense of value through parent interaction and acceptance (unconditional love)
- Encouragement for your child’s accomplishments because of their efforts and contributions in their family unit.
- Teach your child to communicate effectively and appropriately to adults, parents, siblingsand peers.
- Teaching your child skills such as co-operation, sharing , negotiation and empathising.
- Spend quality time with your child with the emphasis of” being together” rather than” doing”.
- Meal times – a time for sharing your child’s daily events.
- Give your child encouragement rather than criticism.
- Focus on your child’s efforts, not on his character.
- Show your confidence in your child and nurture his feeling of success.
