Social and Emotional Learning and Play in Early Years

The aim of the paper is to briefly explain the relationship between "early and preschool-aged children's play" and social-emotional learning (SEL). Play, as the child's dominant activity, ensures his full and healthy development and SEL makes a significant contribution to it. As SEL is important for a children's healthy growth, it has recently been the subject of numerous studies and, as a result, has become an indispensable part of the curricula of educational institutions. Socio-emotional competencies enable children to make achievements and advance both academically and personally. In this paper, the emphasis is placed on symbolic and peer play and it is concluded that both types provide opportunities for enhancing all social and emotional competencies (responsible decision-making, social awareness, social skills, self-awareness, and self-management). The prerequisite for creating the conditions for appropriate SEL of early and preschool-aged children are socially-emotionally competent educators (and parents). It is necessary to enrich study programmes at universities where educators are trained in the field of social-emotional competencies and indirectly to enable parents of early and preschool-aged children to learn this as well.