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Social and Emotional Learning During Early Childhood

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Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion

Introduction

Social and emotional aspects of preschoolers’ development are crucial for their concurrent and later well-being and mental health, as well as their learning and early school success (Denham, 2006). As Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, and Walberg (2007) have noted, “schools are social places, and learning is a social process” (p. 191). Even young students learn alongside and in collaboration with teachers and peers and must be able to utilize their emotions to facilitate learning. A child’s abilities to understand emotions of self and others; regulate emotion, attention, and behavior; make good decisions regarding social problems; express healthy emotions; and engage in a range of prosocial behaviors – their social-emotional learning (SEL) skills – all work together to grease the cogs of a successful school experience and facilitate satisfying relationships with others (Denham, Brown, and Domitrovich, 2010). But SEL success may not be easy for children just entering...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology MS 3F5, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA, 22030-4444, USA

    Susanne A. Denham

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison Street (M/C 285), Chicago, IL, 60607-7137, USA

    Katherine M. Zinsser

Authors
  1. Susanne A. Denham
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  2. Katherine M. Zinsser
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Correspondence to Susanne A. Denham .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, New London, CT, USA

    Thomas P. Gullotta

  2. University of Connecticut, West Hartford, USA

    Martin Bloom

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Denham, S.A., Zinsser, K.M. (2014). Social and Emotional Learning During Early Childhood. In: Gullotta, T.P., Bloom, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5999-6_144

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5999-6_144

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