This Area of Learning is of the utmost importance for young children in all aspects of their lives. It is about children’s emotional well-being, understanding of who they are, and respect for others and their environment. It is also about forming and sustaining relationships, beginning to understand emotions, learning how to self-regulate, and developing positive dispositions to learn. Good personal, social and emotional development gives children the best opportunity for success in other Areas of Learning. As they begin their pre-school education, children bring with them a variety of personal and social skills, values and attitudes. They acquire experiences and relationships within the home and their immediate surroundings, and it is important that these are recognised. Young children learn and develop through following simple routines such as participating in tidying up, being independent at snack time and putting on their own coats; • making choices and organising their own play; • playing with and helping each other; • being treated as individuals in their own right with their own personalities, likes and dislikes; and • having time and opportunities to identify and understand their own feelings and the needs and feelings of others.