THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMOTION REGULATION

 Although emotion regulation starts in infancy, the preschool years are critically important in developing emotion regulation and control. Further Exploration contains additional readings and resources about these developmental changes. During these years, most children spend increasing amounts of time in group settings. These settings require children to balance their own wishes against those of others, to wait for things, to conform to routines, and to deal with others’ strong emotional responses. Denise and other early childhood professionals play a central role in this process.

No matter how skilled she is, however, Denise is not the sole regulator of her children’s expression of emotions. Children’s success or difficulty in emotion regulation has already been shaped by many factors even before the 2-year-olds enter Denise’s class. Maturation of the brain and nervous system helps children to inhibit emotional expressions and delay gratification of impulses. Denise’s children are better at waiting for turns on the tire swing than they were last year, in part because they are maturationally able to do so. For better or worse, children’s early family experiences have already affected their regulatory competence (Gottman, Katz, & Hooven, 1996). The center where Denise works enrol many children whose families experience great adversity. Poverty, violence, and instability of care have made it especially difficult for some of Denise’s children to express their anger and sadness in flexible, adaptive ways. Some children have disabilities that have already influenced them to adopt certain strategies for cop- ing with their own and others’ emotional states.

What Practitioners Believe and Can Do

So much has happened before children enter early childhood programs. What exactly is the role of the early childhood professional in fostering emotional regulation in young children? Little consensus exists. In surveying American and Korean teachers and program directors, Hyson and Lee (1996) found great variations in practitioners’ endorsement of statements about certain emotion-related beliefs and strategies, such as, “When a child is upset, I try to put it in words”; “Teachers should ‘let their feelings out’ in class”; and “Children should be encouraged to display feelings openly.” These variations existed within cultures as well as between cultures.

Rather than identifying one best role for teachers to adopt in support- ing children’s emotion regulation, it may be better to examine an array of possible roles. As recent discussions of appropriate practices and professional preparation have emphasized (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997; NAEYC, 2001), early childhood professionals need a broad repertoire of strategies to help young children learn. With skill in all of these strategies, practitioners can select those that are best suited to children’s individual needs, cultural expectations, and educational purposes. When Alexander’s car crashing became wild and uncontrolled, Denise had many options from which to choose. Her gentle distraction and guidance to a new activity worked effectively, but other choices were possible. Another child (or even Alexander on a different day) might have been able to regain control with a look from Denise. Simply moving closer to Alexander and the other boys might have been sufficient. On the other hand, at times Denise may need to take over the regulatory function completely, physically removing Alexander from the area and holding him firmly until his excitement and anger subside.

AN ENVIRONMENT FOR EMOTION REGULATION

Using the roles of smorgasbord host, scaffold, and cultural guide, early childhood professionals can construct an environment within which children can strengthen their abilities to regulate their own emotions and to respond appropriately to others’ feelings.

Establishing the Interpersonal Climate

The strategies presented in earlier chapters help children build regulatory skills: creating a secure emotional environment; helping children understand their own feelings and those of others; and serving as a model of genuine, appropriate emotion expressions. A positive interpersonal cli- mate will also support the development of emotion regulation.

Children who are in “good moods” are more likely to tune in to others’ feelings, to be generous to others, and to help those in trouble (Moore, 1985). Denise’s class and other high quality programs are happy places for children and adults. Despite conflicts among children and occasional reprimands for mis-behaviour, the dominant mood is positive and loving. Rose, the director of Denise’s program, says that the first thing many visitors comment on is how happy everyone seems to be. Staff turnover is low. Foster grandparents, parent helpers, and other community volunteers enjoy being around the center; children who have graduated to public school come back to visit. Children bask in the warmth of the center’s nurturing extended family.

Although she instructs children in culturally valued patterns of regulation, Denise matter-of-factly and openly accepts children’s expression of a wide variety of emotions.

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