There are two main approaches that can be taken to fostering the moral, social and emotional development of young children:
* 'outside in' - where adults manage, control and shape the behaviour of children through extrinsic rewards, incentives and punishments. The idea is that shaping behaviour means children behave without having to understand abstract concepts such as helpfulness.
* 'making the inner outer, and the outer inner' - where adults help children to develop self-discipline by discussing the consequences of people's actions, including the children's own. The idea is that learning to see the consequences of what they and others do helps children to be thoughtful of others, and abstract ideas such as helpfulness slowly become understood.
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