Children’s storybooks and their role in emotional development in early infancy

Abstract

In this article, we address the development of emotions in early infancy, emphasizing the emergence of emotional recognition and expressiveness and their relevance for children’s overall development. We examine possible difficulties in this area and their relationship with the incidence and prevalence of mental health problems in Chilean preschool children. We consider some predictors of emotional development, including the maturational and social-contextual perspectives and the process of emotional socialization. We review two interventions aimed at early promotion of healthy emotional development in Chilean children: parental competencies and children’s storybooks. We discuss these proposals in terms of their advantages and limitations and conclude that using children’s storybooks is the most highly recommended considering the results, costs, and feasibility of equitable implementation as part of interventions that benefit all children.