Social Development means being able to make friends and get along with others, to work as part of a team and be a good leader, all of which are built on self-confidence, cooperation and trust.
Through the comfort and responsiveness of an adult, preschoolers
will learn how to handle their emotions and how to seek help when needed.
Parents Can:
Praise their preschooler for his efforts
Provide feedback about what he does well (such as getting dressed on his own)
Child Will:
Be encouraged to take on more activities independently
Gain confidence
Feel motivated to be more independent
Parents Can:
Be available to their preschooler, even when she is playing or working on her own, and be prepared to talk
Child Will:
Know that you take an interest in her activities
Feel valued by your availability
Feel secure
Parents Can:
Give their preschooler a special responsibility, such as helping to water the flowers in the garden
Child Will:
Feel he has a special role
Feel independent
Gain confidence and have a stronger sense of self
Play
Through opportunities for play, preschoolers will experience joyful, free, spontaneous moments of fun while also learning about themselves and others.
Parents Can:
Provide opportunities for their preschooler to play with other preschoolers
Child Will:
Develop her ability to share
Practice turn-taking
Comply with your request
Parents Can:
Praise turn-taking during everyday routines, such as waiting for his turn to take a bath or helping with dinner
Child Will:
Begin to practice turn-taking, even in everyday events
Begin to refine the necessary social skills for school
Parents Can:
Spend time playing simple games that require turn-taking, for example, card games such as "Memory" or "Go Fish"
Child Will:
Gain confidence
Develop turn-taking skills
Begin to understand expectations of games with rules
Enjoy playing with you
Teach
Through routines, and emotionally and physically safe and secure environments, preschoolers can learn how to think, solve problems and communicate.
Parents Can:
Ask their preschooler about her day, with specific open-ended questions. For example, "What was one special thing you did?" or "Who did you enjoying playing with today?"
Child Will:
Feel her comments are valued
Seek your approval for the good things that happened in her day
Want to talk to you more often about her day
Parents Can:
Explain to their preschooler the reasons behind requests. For example, "Go to bed so that you can be rested and ready to play in the morning"
Child Will:
Comply with requests more often
Understand that there are reasons behind requests
Have a better understanding of routines, rules and limits
