Engaging Families in Supporting Children’s Social-Emotional Development There are many things you can do to give families ideas of how to support their children’s social and emotional development at home too. You can
Incorporate the emotion words the children have been practicing or have identified during the day into notes or newsletters for parents. This may help to encourage discussion of emotion words in the home setting as well.
Include a note about a situation that arose at school and how it was solved when reporting to parents. Encourage the parents to ask the children about it.
Encourage families to use meals and end of day routes to discuss the day with their children.
Share some of the things you do throughout the day. Many of those things can be done at home too.
Some specific ideas you can give parents include the following:
During bathroom routines, have children look in the mirror and practice making mad, sad, and happy faces.
In the morning, discuss things you are excited about for the upcoming day.
When leaving the house, ask the child to help you carry things. Afterward, thank them for helping.
Throughout daily routines outside of the house, talk about the different ways the people you see help (police officers, bus drivers, cashiers). Emphasize the helping nature of these jobs.
Use meal preparation as a chance to practice and talk about social skills. Have children get out ingredients, set the table, or stir food. Discuss how important it is to help and how much the help is appreciated.
Create a solution kit that can be used at home when your child has a problem. Add solutions such as asking a sibling or parent for help,
choosing a different toy, or going outside to play. Post them on the fridge for easy access!
Model techniques to use when dealing with anger and frustration. Show breathing techniques, counting, or whatever works to calm you down.