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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Social and Emotional Development

Self-regulation

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

nounCore term

In child development & early education, self-regulation means: The ability to manage your own feelings, attention and behaviour, for example calming down after being upset or waiting for a turn.

In Turkish: öz düzenleme, kendini düzenleme

How it is used

A central idea in early years research and curricula. Young children develop self-regulation slowly and first need an adult's help, called co-regulation. Teachers talk about emotional self-regulation and self-regulation skills.

Example sentences

  1. Waiting for a turn on the bike is good practice for self-regulation.

  2. Children with strong self-regulation skills often find it easier to start school.

Common collocations

  • emotional self-regulation
  • self-regulation skills
  • develop self-regulation
  • support self-regulation
  • co-regulationThe process in which a calm, caring adult helps a child manage strong feelings, for example by staying close, speaking softly and naming the emotion.
  • executive functionA group of mental skills that help us plan, focus, remember instructions, control impulses and switch between tasks.
  • tantrumA sudden outburst of crying, shouting, kicking or throwing oneself on the floor, common in toddlers who cannot yet express or control strong feelings.
  • social and emotional developmentA child's growing ability to understand and manage feelings, build relationships, get along with others and develop a sense of self.

More terms: Social and Emotional Development

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