My 3-year-old son is currently in Play & Learn 6, Music 3, and Art 3 classes in Gymboree, and he has been doing very well in terms of physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development through his interactions with friends, materials, and activities during classes. To tell you the truth, it’s easy for me to monitor my son’s physical and cognitive growth at home. However, regarding the social and emotional development, how can I tell if he is on track and developing this age-appropriate skill?

It’s always helpful to know what social and emotional skills your son should be developing by age 3 or 4. And the following is social and emotional milestones for 3-to-4-year old children you can review and note how your son is doing in each area:

• Be able to state his gender, age, names, and parents’ names.
• Be able to take care of his own needs (washing hands, dressing, putting slippers…)
• Enjoys helping some household tasks (putting toys away, passing you rags….)
• Starts to notice other people’s moods and feelings
• Recognizes his limits and asks others for help
• Starts to learn to take turns, share, and cooperate
• Begins to express his anger with words rather than acting out physically

Now that you understand some of the milestone’s social and emotional skill, you can help him develop further and practice them throughout the day. And, as Gymboree member, you can also get some resources/information of what to do to encourage the social and emotional development at home from Gymboree Programs.