Emotional and psychological development

Support emotional and psychological development in early childhood CHCFC504A

This unit is about supporting children's emotional and psychological development during early childhood.

 

Requirements

1. Encourage children's independence and autonomy

  1. Plan and provide opportunities to develop self-help skills and independence
  2. Give children opportunities to make choices, in appropriate ways
  3. Encourage children to accept responsibility for their own actions
  4. Empower children to make their own decisions and to participate in broader decision-making
  5. Involve children in increasingly more significant decision-making.

 

2. Foster children's self esteem and developing self concept

  1. Plan opportunities for children to experience individual strengths and success
  2. Select experiences that present a challenge within children's emerging skills and capabilities
  3. Monitor children's confidence while attempting more challenging activities
  4. Provide acknowledgment and support if a child experiences frustration and encourage children to see 'mistakes' as opportunities to learn
  5. Acknowledge and appreciate children's individual and group achievements
  6. Design experiences to explore issues of self image and identity in ways that are appropriate to the children's level of development
  7. Choose learning and play resources to provide positive, non stereotypical images of children
  8. Give children opportunities to:
    • build on their achievements and extend them
    • to initiate and assume leadership roles
  9. Promote the transition to school for children of an appropriate age and support them.

 

3. Create opportunities and give experiences that encourage children to express their feelings, needs and ideas and that will enhance their development

The way you encourage a child to develop emotionally and psychologically will vary according to the age of the child and must include babies, toddlers and 3 to 5 year olds.

  1. Identify and monitor children's emotional and psychological development and their expression of feelings.
  2. Give children opportunities to interact positively with other children and to accept individual differences, giving due regard to age, cultural, and development of children
  3. Listen to children's expression of feelings and ideas and respond appropriately
  4. Ensure that your expectations about how children express their feelings are related to child's stage of development
  5. Encourage and demonstrate socially appropriate ways for children to express their feelings and needs
  6. Provide opportunities for children to release feelings and express emotion through suitable experiences
  7. Encourage children to appreciate one another's achievements

 

4. Other skills

  1. Accept each child's rate of development, needs, interests and strengths
  2. Planning
  3. Interpersonal skills, active listening, empathy
  4. Team building
  5. Organize your work and manage your time
  6. Value differences among children - stage of development, needs, interests, strengths
  7. Treat all parents and children equitably, including Indigenous people
  8. Work with cultural diversity.
  9. Apply the following skills identified as underpinning national child health and well being core competencies, where they are applicable to the work role:
    • implement effective evidence-based service delivery
    • coordinate service delivery to families with an interdisciplinary teamwork approach and where possible collaborative interagency practice
    • support infants and toddlers to master key developmental tasks
    • early identification of emerging trends in children's needs and how to address them
    • manage children's health needs, eating behaviours and physical activity
    • provide environments and relationships that are safe for young people
    • engage and work with parents/carers and families