It is at this age that the emotions begin to show themselves up in differentiated form. The two streams of emotions differentiated from excitement, the unpleasant, disruptive emotions such as anger and fear, and the pleasant, integrative emotions, will again provide a framework for discussion. Maturation continues to play its part. If a child is not handled properly, he will develop into an emotionally immature person.

The chief characteristic of emotions in early childhood is that the emotions are spontaneous and the child cannot control them till he reaches later childhood. There is decline in overt expression of emotions. Early childhood is invariably a period of heightened emotionality. The emotions of the child are intense. He often runs into temper tantrums. Common emotions of children during early childhood are fear, anger, and jealousy. We shall discuss them in detail later.