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While social-emotional development begins most visibly after birth, it is strongly shaped during the prenatal stage. During the prenatal stage, foundational social and emotional milestones begin with the formation of the infant’s stress regulation systems and early temperament (Ormrod et al., 2024). The fetus starts to respond to environmental stimuli, and maternal factors, such as stress levels, influence how the baby’s nervous system develops, which will later affect emotional regulation and reactivity after birth (Ormrod et al., 2024). Therefore, it is essential for healthy prenatal care, such balanced nutrition, regular checkups, and reduced exposure to toxins, which supports optimal brain development that lays the groundwork for emotional and social regulation (Ormrod et al., 2024).

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1) Parent Involvement in Prenatal Awareness Education: Teachers in early childhood programs can collaborate with community health educators to host workshops for expectant parents, highlighting the connection between prenatal well-being and later social-emotional skills (Ormrod et al., 2024).

2) “Welcome Baby” Connection Programs: Schools or centers can create outreach activities—such as sending prenatal resource packets or arranging home visits—to encourage early attachment and emotional security from the earliest possible stage.

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Toddlerhood is a time of rapid emotional growth, marking social and emotional milestones, such as the emergence of autonomy, self-awareness, and early peer interactions. Toddlers begin to form a basic sense of empathy and demonstrate early social behaviors, such as offering comfort to others (Honig & Wittmer, 2017). They also develop stronger attachment bonds with caregivers, which provide a secure base for exploring their environment (Honig & Wittmer, 2017). Self-regulation skills begin to emerge but are fragile; toddlers may struggle with frustration, sharing, and waiting. Therefore, children within this developmental stage have difficulty managing and recognizing their strong emotions.

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1) Emotion Naming and Coaching: Teachers can use everyday moments to label emotions (“I see you’re feeling frustrated because it’s not your turn yet”) and model calming strategies, supporting the development of emotional vocabulary and self-regulation.

2) Parallel Play to Cooperative Play Activities: Structured small-group activities—such as building a block tower together—can encourage social turn-taking, patience, and collaboration, gradually transitioning toddlers from parallel to cooperative play.

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In early childhood, children have social and emotional milestones through refining their self-regulation skills, developing a stronger understanding of others’ perspectives, and forming friendships. Children at this stage become more capable of cooperative play, negotiation, and conflict resolution, though they still rely on adult guidance to manage disagreements and managing their big emotions (Ormrod et al., 2024). Moreover, early childhood is a key period for fostering self-regulation through routines, modeling, and structured choice-making (Slater, 2021). Early childhood is when foundational social-emotional learning—such as self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision-making—begin to take shape in observable ways.

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1) Center Time in Social Scenarios: Teachers can guide and provide different centers around the room to incorporate hands-on learning to grow linguistic, emotional, and social skills. Center time allows children to practice empathy and problem-solving in a safe, supportive environment.

2) Emotion Regulation Corners: Creating a “calm-down space” with sensory tools, books, and visual aids can help children recognize their emotional states and choose strategies to return to a regulated state before rejoining group activities.

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Self-regulation is the ability to monitor, manage, and control one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations to achieve goals or respond appropriately to environmental demands (Ormrod et al., 2024). It involves skills such as impulse control, emotional regulation, attention focusing, and the ability to delay gratification. For example, a child practicing self-regulation might feel frustrated when a toy is taken away but uses words or deep breathing to calm down rather than throwing a tantrum. Another example is a student who waits patiently for their turn during group activities instead of interrupting.

Self-regulation develops gradually through early childhood and into adolescence and is a key predictor of social competence, academic success, and emotional well-being (Slater, 2021). Children with strong self-regulation skills are better equipped to handle challenges, manage stress, and maintain positive relationships with peers and adults.

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Teacher Strategies to Encourage Self-Regulation in the Classroom

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Teacher Strategies to Encourage Self-Regulation in the Classroom

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1) Explicit Modeling of Emotional Regulation Strategies
Teachers can openly demonstrate how they manage their own emotions and frustrations in the classroom. For example, a teacher might say, “I’m feeling a bit frustrated with this noisy hallway, so I’m going to take a deep breath to calm down.” This explicit modeling helps children see practical ways to handle emotions and shows that self-regulation is a normal and important skill (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2022; Slater, 2021).

2) Creating Structured Routines and Predictable Environments
Providing consistent daily schedules and clear expectations helps children feel secure and reduces anxiety, allowing them to focus on regulating their own behavior. Visual schedules and transition cues prepare children for changes, giving them time to adjust and practice self-control (Ormrod et al., 2024).

3) Teaching and Practicing Mindfulness and Coping Techniques
Incorporating short mindfulness activities, such as guided breathing exercises or “calm-down corners,” teaches children how to recognize their feelings and choose healthy ways to cope. Teachers can guide students to pause, breathe deeply, or use sensory tools when they notice signs of frustration or anxiety, encouraging intentional self-regulation (Slater, 2021).

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Families can begin supporting social-emotional development before birth by focusing on maternal well-being. Expectant parents should engage in stress-reducing activities such as

Gentle exercise

Mindfulness/ Prayer

Adequate rest, as high maternal stress can impact the baby’s developing nervous system (Ormrod et al., 2024).

Talking, singing, or playing calming music to the unborn child can also encourage early bonding and promote emotional security after birth (Honig & Wittmer, 2017).

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During toddlerhood, families can foster emotional awareness and early self-regulation by

Labeling feelings and responding sensitively. For example, when a toddler is upset, a parent might say, “I see you’re feeling angry because you can’t have the toy right now.” This helps toddlers begin to identify and understand their emotions (Honig & Wittmer, 2017).

Parents can also establish simple, consistent routines—such as regular meal and nap times—to provide toddlers with predictability, which supports emotional regulation.

Using books or stories about feelings and social situations encourages empathy and social understanding.

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For preschool-aged children, families can support social skills and self-regulation by

Practicing turn-taking and problem-solving during play

Role-playing common social scenarios at home, like sharing or asking for help, reinforces skills learned at school (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2022).

Introducing calming techniques, such as deep breathing or counting to ten, and practice these together during stressful moments to build children’s coping skills (Slater, 2021).

Positive reinforcement for behaviors like sharing, patience, and using words to express feelings encourages intrinsic motivation and emotional growth.

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Prenatal development and care lay a critical foundation for an individual’s long-term social and emotional functioning. The prenatal environment directly affects brain development, which underlies later emotional regulation and strong social skills (Ormrod et al., 2024). Healthy prenatal care supports brain growth, emotional regulation, and physical well-being that will later support adolescents in managing stress, forming relationships, and adapting to social environments (Ormrod et al., 2024). There are many ways that can encourage healthy prenatal care and development including:

Access to quality healthcare

Adequate maternal nutrition

Avoidance of harmful substances

Emotional support

Conversely, prenatal exposure to stress, toxins, substances, or inadequate nutrition can alter brain development, which makes emotional regulation harder for adolescents (Ormrod et al., 2024). Therefore, there is an increased risk in the following for adolescent's social and emotional learning:

Emotional difficulties

Impulsivity

Difficulties in peer relationships

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Early childhood experiences also play a pivotal role in shaping an adolescent's social and emotional development. Infants and young children develop a sense of trust, emotional security, and social competence through consistent, responsive caregiving (Honig & Wittmer, 2017).

When children experience stable, consistent, and responsive, attachment relationships early in life, those experiences will carry into adolescence that shape social and emotional growth through the following:

Strong trust, empathy, and confidence

(Honig & Wittmer, 2017).

Develop healthy peer and adult relationships (Ormrod et al., 2024)

Strong self-regulation and self-control skills through monitoring and controlling one's emotions and behaviors

Secure early attachments help teens handle peer relationships with resilience (Ormrod et al., 2024).

In contrast, early experiences marked by neglect, inconsistent caregiving, or trauma can contribute to heightened anxiety, difficulty regulating emotions, or challenges in social problem-solving during adolescence. Adolescents who lacked nurturing, structured environments in early childhood may face greater challenges in self-regulation, which can lead to increased risk-taking behaviors or social withdrawal (Slater, 2021).

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In conclusion, healthy prenatal development and positive early childhood experiences create the neural, emotional, and social groundwork that supports resilience, empathy, and interpersonal success in adolescence. A strong start—physically, emotionally, and relationally—makes it far more likely that an adolescent will thrive socially and emotionally, even when encountering the inevitable challenges of this developmental period.