Children gain a lot from going to preschool because they are exposed numbers, letters and shapes there. But, more importantly they develop social and emotional skills: they learn how to get along and interact with other peers; to understand the feelings of others, controls their emotions and behaviours and build relationships with adults. The process that leads to gain these skills is called ‘socialization’, which is defined as

the process whereby an individual learns to adjust to a group (or society) and behave in a manner approved by the group (or society). According to most social scientists, socialization essentially represents the whole process of learning throughout the life course and is a central influence on the behaviour, beliefs, and actions of adults as well as of children (Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica).

At the basis of socialization, there is the development of social and emotional skills, which will help kids build more positive relationships and interact much better among them. Social skills can be complex, since they integrate feelings, values and a series of strategies that allow a child to go through  his social and emotional journey.

The figure 4, provided below shows the main milestones of children’s emotional skill development during pre-school. It is important to note that children can reach this steps at different times. In fact, some children may be ahead and high levels of emotional skill development, while others may be a be behind and need more time to control and manage their emotions.

Figure 4. Kids Matter, Emotional Development