Brought to you by the
Michigan Great Start Systems Team:
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Michigan Department of Community Health
Michigan Department of Education, Office of Great Start
Michigan Department of Human Services
Early Childhood Investment Corporation
What is Social and Emotional Health?
Social and Emotional health is a young child’s growing ability to:
1. Form close relationships with other people, especially parents and other familiar
caregivers (social skills). For example, depending on his age, the child:
•Enjoys interacting with others
•Trusts others to protect him
•Seeks and responds to attention from others
•Makes and keeps friends
•Shows kindness towards others
2. Express and manage emotions (emotional skills). For example, depending on her
age, the child:
•Shows many emotions (smiles when happy, cries when sad, says how
she feels, etc.)
•Turns to the parent or other caregivers when scared or unsure
•Calms down when upset without hurting self or others
•Works through conflicts with others
3. Explore new environments. For example, depending on his age, the child:
•Actively explores people, places, and things around him
•Takes on challenges
•Is able to stick with a task