Emotional maturity is closely linked to social development. Children learn to recognize and regulate emotions through their relationships with adults and other children.
Research shows developing emotional maturity, or emotional intelligence (EQ), in childhood sets your child up for success for the rest of their lives. A 2011 study of data on 17,000 British infants followed over five decades found that a child’s mental health correlated strongly with their future happiness.
Children’s emotional development often follows specific milestones. These can provide helpful benchmarks for healthy development:
At four months, infants will smile socially At six months, infants will respond to emotions At one to two years, children will enjoy playing with familiar people At four or five years, children will want to please their friends