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Social & Emotional Development
Developing Trust & Emotional Security
WiseTip: SE-TRU-M2436-P01A

Follow your child's lead. For example, give your child a toy and watch what they do with it. It's okay not to use the "right way" to play. Let your child explore the toy and use words to describe their actions.

24-36 months
Play
WHY IT MATTERS

Playing with the child in a loving way helps build

early attachment

Early Attachment - John Bowlby’s Ethological Theory of Attachment, which recognizes the infant’s emotional tie to the caregiver as an evolved response that promotes survival. The child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships is dependent on the quality of attachment with the caregiver.1 Where there is a positive connection between an infant (or toddler) and a special adult, an attachment exists between them.2 When a mother provides consistent and responsive care to a child, the child develops attachment relationship with the mother. The special adult can be a mother, father, grandparents, or anyone that the child is in close contact with.

1. Berk, L. E. (2013). Child development (9th ed.). New Jersey, USA: Pearson Education.

2. Thompson, R. A. (2006). The development of the person: Social understanding, relationships, conscience, self. In Handbook of child psychology (pp. 24-98). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

relationships. Children who developed secure attachments with their caregivers during infancy showed better outcomes in social development during childhood and adolescence, such as in the areas of empathy
1, 2

  1. Kestenbaum, R., Farber, E., Ellen, A., & Sroufe L. A. (1989). Individual differences in empathy among preschoolers: Relation to attachment history. New Directions for Child Development, 44, 51-64.

  2. Sroufe, L. A. (1983). Infant-caregiver attachment and patterns of adaptation in preschool: The roots of maladaptation and competence. Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology, 16, 41-83.

, social competence
2, 3

  1. Sroufe, L. A. (1983). Infant-caregiver attachment and patterns of adaptation in preschool: The roots of maladaptation and competence. Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology, 16, 41-83.

  2. Thompson, R. A. (2008). Early attachment and later development: Familiar questions, new answers. In: Cassidy J, Shaver PR, eds. Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications. 2nd Ed. New York: Guilford Press, 348- 365.

 and behavioural problems.
4, 5

  1. Egeland, B. & Carlson, B. (2004). Attachment and psychopathology. In: Atkinson L, Goldberg S, eds. Attachment issues in psychopathology and intervention. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 27-48.

  2. Lyons-Ruth, K., Easterbrooks, M. A, & Cibelli, C. D. (1997). Infant attachment strategies, infant mental lag, and maternal depressive symptoms: Predictors of internalizing and externalizing problems at age 7. Developmental Psychology, 33(4), 681-692.

Research by the Harvard Center on the Developing Child has shown that "

serve and return

Serve and Return Interactions - Serve and return interactions shape brain architecture. When an infant or young child babbles, gestures, or cries, and an adult responds appropriately with eye contact, words, or a hug, neural connections are built and strengthened in the child’s brain that support the development of communication and social skills.1

1. Harvard University. (2020, January 27). Serve and Return. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Retrieved December 29, 2020, from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/serve-and-return/

" interactions shape brain architecture.

When a young child talks, gestures, or cries, and an adult responds appropriately with eye contact, words, related actions or a hug, neural connections are built and strengthened in the child’s brain that support the development of communication and social skills.

Talking to the child during play is a form of contingent communication where parents pay attention to what children are trying to communicate and respond positively and consistently. This mode of communication creates a secure environment where children learn to trust that they have someone to depend on in case of need.

When early attachment relationships are mainly warm, positive and consistent, children feel safe with their caregivers, who become a "secure base" for them. As such, children feel free and confident to explore and interact with the world. Children who are securely attached may seek help from familiar adults and when this help is given, children gain greater confidence to venture to explore new things .

6, 7, 8, 9

  1. Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. New York, NY: Basic Books.

  2. Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Juffer, F. (2003). Less is more: Meta-analyses of sensitivity and attachment interventions in early childhood. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 195–215.

  3. Landry SH, Smith KE, Swank PR. (2006). Responsive parenting: Establishing early foundations for social, communication, and independent problem-solving skills. Developmental Psychology., 42:627–642.

  4. Barnas, M. V., & Cummings, E. M. (1994). Caregiver stability and toddlers’ attachment related behaviour towards caregivers in day care. Infant Behaviour and Development, 17, 141-147.