Play for the Development Social and Emotional Learning in Young Children

Abstract

Play is essential to the development and natural learning processes of young children. If children do not have appropriate opportunities to play according to their age, they may be at risk of deficiencies in social and emotional learning skills, which can subsequently lead to various behavioral problems in the future. For this reason, the author compiled important information related to this issue from both Thai and international contexts and synthesized it into appropriate guidelines for developing children’s social and emotional learning skills. These skills included self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These competencies were fostered through diverse forms of play, including symbolic play, constructive play, rule-based play, physical play, and free play. The approach applied the SAFER framework comprising sequence, activity, focus, expressiveness, and responsiveness, which had been adapted to suit Thai social contexts. This will enable parents and relevant stakeholders to use the guidelines as a practical framework for promoting children’s developmental abilities across age stages, thereby supporting children to grow to their full potential and become high-quality human resources in the future.