Developmental Domain 1: Social and Emotional Development

Other Illinois Early Learning Guidelines: Birth to Age 3 sets

• Approaches to Learning
• Developmental Domain 2: Physical Development and Health
• Developmental Domain 3: Language Development, Communication, and Literacy
• Developmental Domain 4: Cognitive Development
• Self-Regulation: A Foundation of Development

Uses facial expressions and sounds to get needs met, e.g., cries, smiles, gazes, coosEE.1.1

Expresses emotions through sounds and gestures, e.g., squeals, laughs, clapsEE.1.2

Demonstrates discomfort, stress, or unhappiness through body language and sounds, e.g., arches back, moves head, criesEE.1.3

Expresses wants with intentionality, e.g., pushes an unwanted object out of the way, reaches for a familiar adult when wanting to be carriedEE.2.1

Expresses fear by crying or turning toward caregiver(s) for comfortEE.2.2

Shows anger and frustration, e.g., cries when a toy is taken awayEE.2.3

Recognizes and expresses emotion toward a familiar person, e.g., shows emotion by hugging a siblingEE.2.4

Demonstrates anger and frustration through a wide range of physical, vocal, and facial expressions, e.g., temper tantrumsEE.3.1

Expresses pride, e.g., smiles, claps, or says, “I did it” after completing a taskEE.3.2

Attempts to use a word to describe feelings to a familiar adultEE.3.3

Expresses wonder and delight while exploring the environment and engaging others EE.3.4

Attempts to use words to describe feelings and names emotionsEE.4.1

Acts out different emotions while engaged in pretend play, e.g., cries when pretending to be sad, jumps up and down for excitementEE.4.2

Begins to express complex emotions such as pride, embarrassment, shame, and guiltEE.4.3

Engages in play to express emotion, e.g., draws a picture for a caregiver because he or she misses them, hides a “monster” in a box due to a fearEE.4.4

Uses signals to communicate needs, e.g., crying, body language, and facial expressions RA.1.1

Attempts to engage both unfamiliar and familiar adultsRA.1.2

Engages in social interactions with adults through smiles, coos, and eye contactRA.1.3

Demonstrates preference for familiar adults, e.g., reaches hands out to signal for caregiver(s)RA.1.4

Cautious of unfamiliar adultsRA.1.5

Begins to engage in simple, back-and-forth interactions with a familiar adult, e.g., plays “peek-a-boo,” babbles in response to an adult speaking and repeats this interactionRA.1.6

Looks for caregiver’s response in uncertain situationsRA.2.1

Engages with adults during play, e.g., bangs on a toy drum and repeats action after an adult completes the same actionRA.2.2

Uses key adults as a “secure base” when exploring the environmentRA.2.3

Uses “social referencing” when encountering new experiences, e.g., glances at a caregiver’s face for cues on how to respond to an unfamiliar person or unknown objectRA.2.4

Draws a familiar adult into an interaction, e.g., hands a book or toy to engage in together RA.2.5

Builds emotional connections with other familiar adults, in addition to primary caregiver(s)RA.3.1

Seeks adult assistance with challenges but may refuse help and say “no”RA.3.2

 Responds to guidance, e.g., places the shape into the shape sorter after caregiver demonstrates how toRA.3.3

Imitates a familiar adult‘s actions, e.g., waves hands around while pretending to talk on the phone after seeing caregiver make those same actions RA.3.4

Imitates adult roles and activities through pretend play, e.g., goes grocery shopping, or prepares a mealRA.4.1

Initiates activities that are meaningful in the relationship, e.g., brings over a favorite book to be read togetherRA.4.2

Communicates thoughts, feelings, questions, and plans to both familiar and unfamiliar adultsRA.4.3

Demonstrates desire to control or make decisions independent from adults RA.4.4

Demonstrates interest in faces and voices of othersSC.1.1

Explores his or her own hands and feetSC.1.2

Recognizes own name, e.g., looks up, or turns head toward a person who is saying his/her nameSC.1.3

Recognizes and prefers familiar adults and siblings, e.g., leans toward caregiver when being held by someone else SC.1.4

Initiates interactions with others, e.g., imitates actions, plays peek-a-booSC.1.5

Begins to display the beginning of joint attention, e.g., points to objects and peopleSC.1.6

Demonstrates separation anxiety, e.g., cries when caregiver leaves the room SC.1.7

Shows awareness of significant people by calling them by name, e.g., “papa”SC.2.1

Engages in joint attention with familiar others, e.g., shares in looking and engaging with objects and people  SC.2.2

Responds with vocalizations or gestures when hears nameSC.2.3

Demonstrates interest in looking in mirrorSC.2.4

Uses gestures and some words to express feelings, e.g., “no” SC.2.5

Uses social referencing to guide actions and begins to test limitsSC.2.6

Points to and identifies body parts on him or herself, e.g., points to eyes when asked, “Where are your eyes?” SC.2.7

Demonstrates awareness of self, e.g., touches own nose in the mirrorSC.3.1

Able to express his or her nameSC.3.2

Refers to self with gestures and languageSC.3.3

Demonstrates understanding and use of concepts through words such as “mine,” “me,” and “you” SC.3.4

Points to self in images and other types of mediaSC.3.5

Frequently tests limitsSC.3.6

Asks for help from familiar adults but may begin to attempt to complete tasks autonomouslySC.3.7

Names people in his/her family and shares stories about themSC.4.1

Asks for help from familiar adults but pushes away and refuses helpSC.4.2

Incorporates roles of family members in playSC.4.3

Begins to show an interest in describing physical characteristics, e.g., “I have blue eyes”SC.4.4

Demonstrates preferences, e.g., “I want the green cup”SC.4.5

Communicates feelings, e.g., may say “I’m sad,” or stomps feet when madSC.4.6

Begins to understand concept of possession, e.g., “yours,” “hers,” “his”SC.4.7

Demonstrates effort to interact and engage, e.g., uses eye contact, coos, smilesRP.1.1

Observes other children in the environmentRP.1.2

Shows interest in both familiar and unfamiliar peersRP.1.3

Cries when hearing another child cryRP.1.4

Reaches out to touch another child RP.1.5

Attempts to imitate actions, e.g., bangs a toyRP.1.6

Shows interest in another child by moving closer, e.g., rolls, crawls, or walks toward the child RP.2.1

Imitates actions of another child, e.g., rolling a carRP.2.2

Engages in a simple, reciprocal game such as “pat-a-cake” RP.2.3

Begins to engage in parallel play, in closer proximity to other children but no interaction is attemptedRP.2.4

Gestures in order to communicate a desire to play near a peerRP.3.1

Demonstrates enthusiasm around other childrenRP.3.2

Expresses frustration when another child takes something away from him or her, e.g., a toyRP.3.3

Begins to engage in simple reciprocal interactions, e.g., rolls a ball back and forthRP.3.4

Demonstrates a preference for parallel play, e.g., plays next to other children with similar toys with little or no interactionRP.3.5

Demonstrates a preference toward select peers RP.4.1

Becomes frustrated with peers, e.g., yells “no” if a peer tries to interfere in something he or she is engaged in RP.4.2

Participates in sharing, when promptedRP.4.3

Communicates with other children in different settings, e.g., talks to a peer during snack time, or hands a peer a book  RP.4.4

Begins to engage in more complex play with two or three childrenRP.4.5

Watches and observes adults and other childrenE.1.1

Cries when hearing another infant cryE.1.2

Responds to interactions from caregiver(s), e.g., smiles when caregiver smiles, looks toward a caregiver when he or she shakes a rattleE.1.3

Shows signs of separation anxiety, e.g., protests when a caregiver leaves the roomE.1.4

Begins to share in simple emotions by reading facial and gestural cues, e.g., repeats activities that make others laughE.1.5

Smiles with intention to draw out a smile from a familiar other E.2.1

Uses social referencing with caregiver(s) when in uncertain situations, e.g., glances at a caregiver’s face for cues on how to respond to an unfamiliar person or new situationE.2.2

Reacts to a child who is upset by observing or moving physically closer to the childE.2.3

Shares in both positive and negative emotions with caregiver(s), e.g., shares in wonders, amazement, delight, and disappointmentE.2.4

Begins to have a greater awareness of own emotions, e.g., says or gestures “no” to refuse, squeals and continues to laugh when happyE.2.5

 Imitates comforting behaviors from caregiver(s), e.g., pats or hugs a child when upset E.3.1

Recognizes some of his or her own emotions, e.g., grabs a comfort object when sadE.3.2

Demonstrates awareness of different emotions and feelings during play, e.g., rocks a baby doll and whispers “shhh” E.3.3

Shares in and communicates simple emotions of others, e.g., “mama sad”, “papa happy” E.3.4

Communicates how other children may be feeling and why, e.g., states that a peer is sad because his or her toy was taken awayE.4.1

Responds to a child in distress in an attempted manner to make that child feel better, e.g., gives a crying child a hug, uses soothing words, or uses distractionE.4.2

Shares in and shows an emotional response for peers’ feelings, e.g., may show concern for a child who is hurt, or smile for a child who is happy and jumping up and downE.4.3