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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Social and Emotional Development

Co-regulation

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

nounCommon term

In child development & early education, co-regulation means: The process in which a calm, caring adult helps a child manage strong feelings, for example by staying close, speaking softly and naming the emotion.

In Turkish: eş düzenleme, birlikte düzenleme

How it is used

Increasingly common in training and behaviour policies. It is seen as the step before self-regulation: children learn to calm themselves through many experiences of being calmed by others.

Example sentences

  1. Co-regulation means staying calm yourself so that the child can borrow your calm.

  2. Rocking, singing and gentle words are all forms of co-regulation with babies.

Common collocations

  • co-regulation and self-regulation
  • provide co-regulation
  • a calm adult
  • name the feeling
  • self-regulationThe ability to manage your own feelings, attention and behaviour, for example calming down after being upset or waiting for a turn.
  • attachmentThe deep emotional bond a young child forms with the main people who care for them, which gives the child a sense of safety and comfort.
  • tantrumA sudden outburst of crying, shouting, kicking or throwing oneself on the floor, common in toddlers who cannot yet express or control strong feelings.
  • key personThe member of nursery staff who has special responsibility for a small group of children, builds a close bond with each child and is the main contact for the family.

More terms: Social and Emotional Development

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