Enhancing Social-Emotional Development: A Preschool Session Plan

This practical assignment details a session plan designed to foster emotional maturity and social competence in a 3-year-old boy, L, who struggles with peer interaction and managing his emotions. The plan incorporates storybook reading ('When I’m feeling angry' by Trace Moroney), hands-on activities like exploring facial expressions on plastic eggs, and pedagogical strategies such as dialogic reading and open-ended questions to encourage emotional expression and understanding. The session aims to teach children how to recognize, express, and manage their feelings effectively, promoting positive social interactions and resilience. The plan also emphasizes the importance of educator-child relationships, communication with the child's family, and creating a supportive learning environment to address challenging behaviors and promote overall social-emotional development. The assignment further discusses the value of inclusion, peer friendships, and setting up a conducive physical environment for learning, highlighting the significance of balancing individual needs with group activities.

Part 1
L is an active and cheerful 3-year-old boy. He has a stable relationship with
educators. It can be observed through his action and response. When he arrives at
the centre, he always first goes to educators and they hug him. However, L struggles
to play with peers. It has been observed that when other children come to share and
play with his toys in his space, he does not allow them to do so. Sometimes he
snatches other children’s toys or destroys other friends block towers even though he
has his own. Although he is eager to join playgroups to play with them. Due to this
behaviour, other children don’t like to play with L. Moreover, when he is angry, he
just cries or sometimes bites others. In this situation, educators strongly(firmly)
respond to it and separate him from others and discipline his behaviours.
Thus, he needs to learn how to express and manage his unstable emotions and
build connections with other children. In terms of the AEDC domain, Emotional
Maturity, I recognised L’s aggressive behaviour. To help and manage this effectively,
I tried to build a close relationship with L this can enable him to manage his feelings
(Department of Education and Training [DET], 2015).
According to the AEDC domain Social Competence, readiness to explore new things
supports children’s social competence. Thus, I use a storybook to support L’s social
learning and to build friendships (DET, 2015). Moreover, I will have conversations
with L about his misbehaviour and tell him how to behave in certain situations
continuously (DET, 2015). Also, I use eye contact and touch him to relieve his
emotions when he gets upset (DET, 2015). In research from DET (2015), children
need repeated discipline and experiences which help them to understand and learn
from others.
From the AEDC domain Emotional Maturity and Social Competence, I will develop
session plans which include a small group storybook reading time to socialise and
interact with peers. I need individual time to teach him about his aggressive
behaviour, for instance, tell him that instead of biting friends, tell them ‘No’ or ‘Stop’,
when someone bothers him. Furthermore, it is important to communicate with L’s
family about his social relationship and aggressive behaviour (DET, 2015).
Thus, I explain to him to communicate with peers rather than breaking friends’
towers. This session is planned to develop L’s emotional and social development

that can help him to get friendly with his peers, but he is not able to communicate
effectively with his friends.
Part 2.

Date: 25.9.21 Age/year group: 3 – 5 years old Setting: Preschool Duration: 15 – 20 minutes Group size: small group
Comments on possible evaluation / reflection:
After getting feedback from peers, I narrowed down my
writing and added ‘hands-on activity’ after reading a
storybook part.
Data that informs plan:
L is an active and cheerful 3-year-old boy.
Sometimes he snatches other children’s toys or
destroys other friends’ block towers even though
he has his own.
Please see Part 1 for further information.
Analysis:
From this learning experience, L and a small number of
children have learned social interaction skills such as
waiting, taking turns, sharing space and materials and
joining in playgroups (Ministry of Education, New
Zealand, 2019).
Possible extension activities: I introduce another
storybook which is called ‘It’s my turn’ by David
Bedford. Also, after reading these books (When I am
feeling angry & It’s my turn’, children can conduct
‘Roleplay or imaginative play about when they get
angry, how they react and how they manage their
anger. Children share their thoughts and experiences.
Likewise, L and few other children work on building a
tower or a sandpit tower together by taking turns and
cooperating.
Session context:
After lunchtime (around 12:30 PM), I bring the
children to the quiet area to read a story called
‘When I’m feeling angry’ by Trace Moroney.
Before reading the book
I ask the children:
How do you feel now?
When do you get angry?
While reading the book
Why this rabbit is angry?
The more important thing that needs to be
mentioned to them is that ‘feeling angry’ is not
wrong, but instead of stomping, screaming or
hitting friends, express yourself with your words
such as ‘I am angry, Stop, No or go to sit in the
quiet areas.
Pedagogical strategies:
- Using a storybook, I teach emotional skills
intentionally.
- Dialogic reading: I shared reading with children
and use strategic questions that stimulate
children’s engaging and deeper thinking into the
storybook (Doyle & Bramwell, 2006).
- Using open-ended questions, they can think
and reflect on their behaviours (Ho & Funk,
2018).
Learning intention:
● Children learn their feelings.
● Children can express their feelings in effective
ways.
● Children learn how to manage their negative
feelings.
● Children can learn to communicate with others.

Rationale:
- Chosen storybook: ‘When I’m feeling angry’
is appropriate for aged 3 months to 5 years
old.
-
It includes emotional content, so children can
connect their emotions and experiences. The
storybook addresses what situations make
the character angry, also demonstrate how
to deal with it.
- Storybook activity: Storybook is a good
resource to learn social-emotional skills. It
supports the children’s needs in both social
and literacy (Doyle & Bramwell, 2006).
- Emotions eggs activity: Hands-on activity to
be useful for expressing their feelings.
Vulnerable children in the local area
- The centre provides an environment and
programs to children and families, such as
parenting sessions or playgroup programs.
- They can provide ‘Yoga class’ or ‘Storybook
time & Rold play’.
After reading
The children share their thoughts and talk about
what they can do when they are angry.
Hands-on Activity
I show different facial expressions drawn on
plastic eggs like cue cards (happy, angry,
surprised, sad) <Appendix 1>.
The children explore different emotions and
imitate egg’s faces.
They can draw their own emotions on plastic
eggs.
Resources:
‘When I’m feeling angry’ by Trace Moroney
4 plastic eggs, extra plastic eggs, Markers
Key questions:
What do you think about this rabbit’s feelings?
How would the rabbit act when he is angry?
Can you use words from the story to explain how
you feel when you get angry? (Ho & Funk, 2018)

As an educator, I believe that children’s social and emotional development is important as
academic achievement. In research from Corso (2007), it addresses the importance of
promoting children’s social-emotional development and preventing challenging behaviour. For
instance, to build positive relationships with children, families and colleagues. There is a need
for supportive environments and to develop social and emotional teaching strategies (Corso,
2007). As an educator, I value inclusion, resilience and confidence and relationship.
Firstly, when educators have a strong connection with children, it would be easier to catch their
needs and respond timely and properly. For example- commonly children show problematic
behaviours, this can be there due to the educator is not able to identify the child needs
effectively. When children know what to do, how to do and expectations, children are less likely
to show challenging behaviour (Corso, 2007).
Secondly, important goals that help to connect children’s social-emotional development include
making friends, communicating with others and starting along with keeping relationships
(Corso, 2007). Peer friendship is also important as a relationship with an educator. In research
from McKown et al. (2009), children’s capability to build positive peer relationships is crucial to
their social competence. In L’s case, if he experiences more rejection by peers, he will lose his
social competent behaviour and it can be a problem when he transits to school as well
(McKown et al., 2009).
Thirdly, inclusion is crucial, so I planned for small group storybook time and further learning, I
will encourage children along with L to build towers together. This is one of the favourite
activities of children which they like to perform. Moreover, when the educators set a physical
environment such as a quiet area for reading time. It promotes children to get engage and
focus on learning and improving knowledge effectively (Corso, 2007). In research from Corso
(2007), “Creating a caring, socially rich, cooperative, and responsive classroom does not
happen without planning”. Therefore, the educator should try to make a better and effective
social environment in their learning space.
Lastly, I set up naming emotions through plastic eggs. Through this, children can acknowledge
their emotions and feelings. This can help to understand that there is nothing wrong with
negative feelings but they should learn how to manage those negative feelings. Through this,
children can manage and soothe themselves which develops resilience. Thus, it is important to
teach emotions verbally, so children can learn their emotions slowly (topic book).
Through small group plays, L might deal with some social problems like a conflict with friends,
taking turns or communication problems and others. However, through these experiences, he

will gain communication and problem-solving skill (McKown et al., 2009). More importantly, L
can learn resilience by learning emotions and how to manage his negative feelings.
The above discussion is for L and other children who face difficulty in dealing with their
emotional and social skills. I believe that the balance between being alone and being in groups
is also important. In L’s case, he wants to play with his peers and also needs his own time as
well. Therefore, if I can catch his feelings, conditions, and needs, it might be easier to handle
the difficult and stressful situations. Especially, L has a stable relationship with educators, so
keeping a strong relationship with him is crucial. Thus, I can talk with him more about feelings
when he is relaxed(calm) after anger (angry moment) (DET, 2019). Also, I have more reading
times with L to repeat ‘When I’m feeling angry’ and other emotional books or tell him other ways
to manage his feelings such as ‘squeeze a stress ball’ (Andrew & Fane, 2018).
<Appendix>