Early childhood educators can promote social-emotional growth by establishing nurturing spaces with regular schedules and friendly interactions. Social competence is made up of many different components. Four key social skills dimensions are involved:
learning related skills, compliance, interpersonal social skills, and group social interaction. Learning-related skills refer to skills that are necessary to support social interaction. These might include learning to pay attention, work in a group, follow directions, stay focused, persist with a task, and organize oneself (Morkel & McLaughlin, 2015). Children can better recognize and communicate their emotions when they are taught emotional literacy through books, visual aids, and daily check-ins. While cooperative play and conflict resolution foster healthy peer relationships, techniques like deep breathing and quiet corners support self-regulation. These abilities are strengthened when SEL is incorporated into everyday tasks. Young learners gain empathy, resilience, and emotional awareness through initiatives like Second Step and The Incredible Years. Fostering emotional intelligence requires a secure, caring environment.