Talking about social emotions is quite difficult because social emotions are difficult to quantify. Just like giving a grade to a math problem is easier than giving a grade when a child can greet a friend. Maybe we have had doubts about this, but the key is the good intentions of the parents. Parents have a very important role in stimulating various aspects of children’s development, both during a pandemic and during normal conditions.
During this pandemic, it feels more challenging because children cannot socialize with their friends. The only opportunity for socialization is with parents and parents must be ready to be friends with their children. Children feel the same as mothers and fathers feel. If mothers and fathers feel uncertainty, stuffiness, and annoyance, children also suffer the same as us. But they are not yet able to express these feelings, and as a result, they will be fussy, want to continue to be noticed by their parents, and spend a lot of time in front of gadgets and television, resulting in reduced study time.
What must be done is that this difficult condition must be accepted first. Give primary attention to children because their development period is only once, it cannot be repeated, so put aside your ego feelings, fathers and mothers, and remember that children need us now. What I suggest is that it is not the child who has to adjust, but the parents. Parents can take advantage of this situation to build closeness with their children and do positive things.
Stimulating social-emotional development is important because parents must prepare children to live with other people in society. And of course, we want children to live at a positive, prosperous, and happy level. This must be prepared from now on. Knowing the alphabet is certainly more than teaching children the ability to learn in class without their parents, to go to the bathroom and eat alone, and often play with friends. There is a need for adjustment and social-emotional maturity at the age of 6-7 years before entering elementary school.
Related to executive function. Executive function is our ability to get things done, namely using mental skills to set goals and plan how we do things, determine priorities finish what we have started, and motivate ourselves. Executive function training needs to start from an early age by telling children that they have to eat until they are finished, that they have to finish doing something, and that they tidy up after playing. This simple exercise can help improve executive function in children.
How to improve social emotions during this pandemic, namely by using the time while studying from home to train children with self-help skills. Give children positive reinforcement for starting and completing tasks. Reinforcement can be in the form of saying thank you for completing the task, trying not just to say good or smart but to convey it specifically regarding the task that has been completed.
What should parents do during this pandemic? Parents can create structure or routines for children. Mario Montessori said that children like order because when it is orderly they feel safe. He knew after this what would happen in his life. Second, by cultivating a positive attitude in children. Because of the daily routine of earning a living, parents forget to think about what life values ??they want to see in their children. For example, you want the values ??of hard work, honesty, and responsibility. Children not only need to be given food, clothing, and facilities, but one thing is that their souls must be fed too. They have carried the values ??of a good life within themselves since birth. Like a plant, these values ??need to be watered and fertilized.
To foster these values, make sure children see examples. If a child doesn’t obey, there may not be an example. Through this example, children will know how to do something. Children also need to practice expressing their feelings. When a child cries, teach the child to say what he feels. Children can practice expressing their feelings through various activities, for example drawing and telling stories. Practice feeling vocabulary, for example sad, angry, happy, annoyed, and afraid. Do this for both boys and girls.
Children must be provided with a positive self-concept in simple ways. When parents or teachers provide positive reinforcement, they can provide confirmation statements that you are capable. If your child cries while doing a task, let him cry but still support him to complete the task. Because crying is a child’s strategy to avoid being asked to do assignments. Children like this are usually caused by laziness. If you are lazy, break your workload into small parts each day and then increase your workload on the following days. Meanwhile, if the cause is because the child cannot, he must be trained until he can. In essence, there is no patent parenting style because the conditions of each family are different. Parents and teachers must have confidence in themselves and not be raised with fear.
