Young children's personal, social and emotional development / Marion Dowling.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: the significance of young children's personal, social and emotional development -- 1. The seeds of confidence -- Becoming aware of oneself -- Self-esteem -- Self-esteem in the early years setting -- Self-knowledge -- Self-esteem, self-knowledge and links with learning -- 2. Living and learning with other -- Why do social relationships matter? -- Place of social skills in early personal development -- Developing understandings and skills of friendship -- The family as a social context for learning -- Learning with adults in the early years setting -- Learning with other children -- Monitoring the development of social skills -- Growing to be a good citizen -- 3. Becoming independent -- Drive for independence starts early in life -- Social and emotional independence -- Physical and functional independence -- Intellectual independence -- Using the environment independently -- Making choices and decisions -- Fostering independent thinkers -- 4. Emotional well-being -- Emotional intelligence -- How feelings influence early learning -- The key person -- Experiencing and expressing emotion -- The effect of transition on children's feelings -- The influence of the family -- Young children's developing understanding of feelings -- Seizing opportunities for emotional learning -- 5. Dispositions for learning -- What are dispositions? -- Developing dispositions at home -- Learning is no compulsory -- Nurturing dispositions to learn -- Dispositions are caught rather than taught --

6. Young children's behaviour -- Past and current views about children's behavior -- Factors which affect young children's behaviour -- Common types of behaviour -- How children start to achieve inner and outer directed behaviour -- Making it possible for children to behave well -- Dealing with critical behaviour -- 7. Young children's spirituality -- Awareness -- Beliefs -- A sense of awe, wonder and mystery -- Experiencing feelings of transcendence -- Searching for meaning and purpose -- Creativity -- The contribution of Steiner schools -- 8. Living in the wider world -- Learning about the world outside -- Being open-minded -- Early influences which affect understanding abut being equal -- Adult expectations -- Equality between boys and girls -- Equality to improve educational achievement -- Promoting a global dimension -- Supporting inclusion -- 9. Outdoors - a haven for personal growth -- Confidence -- Independence -- Social skills -- Emotional development -- Motivation -- Getting safety in perspective -- Making the most of what you have got -- Helping children -- to look after the world outside -- 10. Working with families to support young children's personal growth -- Families matter -- Approaches to parenting -- Pressures on young families in today's society -- Offering support for families -- Some major developments -- Practitioners and families working together -- 11. Being alongside the child -- The influence of books and stories -- The context for sharing books and stories -- Encouraging a personal response from children -- Storytelling -- Children's stories and fantasy play -- Skilled practitioners are the key ingredient.

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