Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or someone who works with kids, understanding the stages of emotional development can be transformative. Today, I want to introduce you to a concept called Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities, or FEDCs, and focus on one of the most fundamental building blocks of your child’s emotional and cognitive journey: Self-Regulation and Interest in the World.
What Are Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities (FEDCs)?
As parents, we’re always tuned into milestones. We get excited when our child takes their first steps, says their first words, or starts recognizing colors and shapes. But there’s another set of milestones—emotional ones—that are just as crucial to your child’s development.
Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities (FEDCs) help explain how children grow emotionally and socially. These capacities are stages that every child goes through as they develop their ability to relate to others, express themselves, and manage their emotions. These stages form the backbone of a child’s ability to communicate, learn, and thrive, and they are at the core of something called the DIR model.
The DIR model stands for:
- Developmental – understanding how children move through different stages of emotional growth.
- Individual differences – appreciating that each child is unique in how they experience the world.
- Relationship-based – recognizing that emotional growth happens best through close, supportive relationships.
Now, let’s focus on one of the most important capacities your child will develop early on: Self-Regulation and Interest in the World.
Why Understanding Emotional Development is Crucial for Your Child’s Growth
We often think of learning as something that happens primarily in school—through reading, math, and science. But the real foundation for all of that intellectual growth starts with emotional development. A child who can manage their emotions, focus on a task, and feel secure in their environment is much more likely to thrive academically and socially.
Here’s why understanding emotional development matters. Imagine your child trying to play with blocks, but they become frustrated because the blocks keep falling. If your child has learned some level of emotional regulation, they’ll probably try again, maybe with your encouragement. But if they haven’t developed this emotional foundation, they might give up, throw the blocks, or cry.
When your child learns to regulate their emotions and stay curious about the world around them, they are building skills that will help them in every other aspect of life. It’s not just about managing meltdowns or tantrums; it’s about creating a mindset that fosters resilience, focus, and a love of learning.
Self-Regulation and Interest: The Foundations of Emotional Development
When we talk about Self-Regulation and Interest in the World, we’re really talking about the building blocks of how your child learns to handle the ups and downs of life and how they begin to explore their environment with curiosity and enthusiasm. This is often the first step your child takes toward emotional growth, typically starting from birth and continuing as they grow. But here’s the good news—it’s something you can help your child develop, no matter their age.
Self-Regulation: Helping Your Child Manage Their Emotions
Let’s start with self-regulation. In simple terms, self-regulation is your child’s ability to manage their emotional and physical reactions to what’s happening around them. Babies, for example, can’t calm themselves on their own—they cry when they’re hungry, tired, or uncomfortable. It’s their way of communicating. They depend on us, their caregivers, to help them calm down. When you pick up your baby, rock them, or speak softly, you’re helping them regulate.
This is incredibly important because, over time, your baby will learn from you. When you soothe them, they start to build the internal skills to soothe themselves. Think of it as the early foundation of resilience. It’s the ability to stay calm when things get tough—a skill that we, as adults, use all the time. And it starts right here, in these first few moments of life.
So, how can you help your child build self-regulation? The most important thing is to be responsive. When your child cries or seems overwhelmed, responding in a calm, consistent way helps them feel safe. They begin to trust that the world is predictable and that they can rely on you to meet their needs. This trust helps them build emotional security, which they’ll carry with them throughout their life.
Interest in the World: Nurturing Curiosity and Engagement
Once your child starts to feel more emotionally secure, they begin to turn their attention outward. This is what we call Interest in the World—the natural curiosity that babies and young children have about everything around them. It’s that moment when they start reaching for toys, following your voice with their eyes, or giggling at the sound of crinkling paper.
This stage is magical because it’s the beginning of learning through exploration. Babies are wired to be curious, but they need to feel safe and calm to explore their environment. If a baby feels overwhelmed or overstimulated, they’ll retreat or cry instead of engaging. That’s why self-regulation and interest in the world go hand-in-hand.
How can you support your child’s curiosity? Start by creating an environment that’s calm but stimulating. This could be as simple as having a soft mobile above the crib, reading books with different textures, or introducing toys that make gentle sounds. By providing a variety of experiences, you’re helping your child discover the world in a way that feels safe and exciting.
The Role of Parents in Supporting Self-Regulation and Interest
As parents, we play a huge role in how our children develop these skills. During this stage, our job is to help our children feel secure while gently encouraging them to explore.
Here are a few practical ways you can support your child in developing Self-Regulation and Interest:
- Be Attentive to Your Child’s Cues: Babies and young children communicate their needs through sounds, body movements, and facial expressions. When you’re tuned in to these cues—whether it’s a baby crying because they’re hungry or a toddler turning away when they’re overwhelmed—you’re better able to meet their needs. This responsiveness teaches them that they are safe, and over time, they learn to trust you and feel secure.
- Create Predictable Routines: Children thrive on predictability. Routines around sleep, meals, and play help them feel safe and give them the security they need to explore the world. When children know what to expect, it reduces stress, which in turn helps them stay calm and curious.
- Provide a Calm, Stimulating Environment: Children are naturally curious, but they can also get overwhelmed by too much stimulation. A room filled with bright lights, loud noises, and lots of activity can make it hard for a child to focus or stay calm. Create an environment that encourages engagement without overwhelming their senses.
- Help Your Child Co-Regulate: When children are very young, they can’t regulate their emotions by themselves. They rely on you to help them. This is called co-regulation. For example, if your baby is upset, gently rocking them or speaking softly helps them calm down. Over time, your child will learn how to soothe themselves by modeling the strategies you use.
- Celebrate Small Steps: Every little moment of curiosity—whether it’s your child reaching for a toy or babbling back at you—is a step forward. Celebrate these small victories. Your child is building the emotional and social muscles they need for later stages of development.
Challenges You Might Face with Self-Regulation and Interest
Not all children move through this stage at the same pace, and that’s okay. Some children might struggle with self-regulation more than others. You might notice that your child becomes easily overwhelmed by new sights or sounds, or they may have trouble calming down after being upset.
This is perfectly normal, and there are things you can do to help. If your child seems overstimulated, try reducing the amount of sensory input. For example, dimming the lights or reducing background noise can help them feel calmer. On the other hand, if your child isn’t showing much interest in their surroundings, you can gently encourage exploration by introducing new toys or activities at their own pace.
Why Self-Regulation and Interest Are the Building Blocks for Future Growth
Now that we’ve explored Self-Regulation and Interest, you might be wondering, “What’s next?” Well, this early stage lays the groundwork for everything that comes after. As your child becomes better at self-regulating and grows more curious about the world, they’re preparing for more complex emotional and social interactions.
For instance, the ability to self-regulate helps your child handle frustration, share with others, and focus on tasks. Their interest in the world will help them engage with their peers, ask questions in school, and approach life with curiosity and enthusiasm.
When you focus on supporting your child’s emotional foundation, you’re not just helping them manage their emotions in the moment—you’re setting them up for a lifetime of learning, problem-solving, and healthy relationships.
The Importance of Building Emotional Foundations
As parents, we have the unique privilege and responsibility of shaping our children’s emotional and social development from the very beginning. By understanding and supporting your child’s ability to self-regulate and stay interested in the world, you’re giving them the tools they need to grow into emotionally resilient, curious, and well-rounded individuals.
The beauty of Self-Regulation and Interest is that it’s not just something that happens to your child—it’s something you actively help them develop. And the best part? You don’t need any special tools or techniques to do this. You just need to be present, responsive, and engaged with your child as they begin to explore and understand the world around them.
Thank you for being here today and for investing your time and energy into learning about how to support your child’s emotional growth. Together, we can build a generation of children who feel secure, confident, and ready to face whatever life throws their way.
Understanding how your child develops emotionally is one of the greatest tools you can have as a parent. By focusing on self-regulation and nurturing their natural interest in the world, you’re setting your child up for success in all areas of life. Learn practical ways to help your child manage emotions and stay curious. Work with Elizabeth to discover how you can support your child’s emotional foundation today!
Self-regulation and interest in the world are critical stages of emotional development that lay the foundation for a child’s growth. By helping children manage their emotions and stay curious, parents can foster resilience, focus, and a love of learning. Simple actions like responsive caregiving, creating routines, and encouraging exploration can have a lasting impact on a child’s ability to thrive emotionally, socially, and intellectually.