SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
What is Social Development?
Social development in children looks at a childs ability to interact with the world around them including their peers, adults, and other community/society members (2013, Kidspot). As children grow, they will learn to develop social skills to cooperate and play with others paying attention to adults and teachers, and making reasonable transitions from activity to activity (2013, Kidspot). In a school setting, social development can be forgotten because so much emphasis can be put onto academics. While focusing on the academic learning is important to a child’s development, social development is just as vital. |
What Influences Social Development? Famous psychologists Lev S. Vygotsky believed that social interaction was a great influence on the development of self and was the origin of higher critical learning (Woolfolke & Perry, 2012 p.42). Our social development can be influenced by our social interactions with parents, peers, friends, teachers and various members of our society. In my classroom I encourage positive social interactions with my students and I encourage them to develop positive social interactions with their fellow classmates. Through these interactions the students will be able to cultivate positive social skills while developing critical thinking skills when working with others. |
Strategies for Developing Social Skills
Dear parents and educators, I encourage you to help your children to develop positive social skills through positive social interactions. Some of the strategies I use my classroom include : 1. Creating a safe community where all student are free to share ideas, make mistakes and learn from them, and ask questions. No question is silly! 2. Encouraging group activities 3. Teaching and promoting effective communication 4. Helping develop a positive sense of self while working with others Teachers, parents, and guardians/caregivers need to work together to help children develop positive social interactive skills (in both our classrooms and homes) that will enable them to create and promote safe environments in their communities. |
Tips to help out with dramatic play: - Dress up in costume! It increases the dramatic affect. - Express the emotions that your character/s might have. - Be creative! Act out the scene in a creative way. - To include more cooperative play include more children into the dramatic play! (Shapiro, 2004). 2: Sharing Learning Objective: To teach children to understand the value of sharing with others. Skill: Empathy, social interaction Ask your child to brainstorm what they know about sharing. Do they think sharing can be difficult? If so, why? Might the outcome of any situation be better if they share? Why? Discuss with to the children pros and cons sharing. Talk about how learning to share may be hard for a lot of children, because it means giving something up. But it also means being generous and thinking about the needs of others. When you share, you feel good because you are being nice to someone else. When someone shares with you, you feel good because they are being considerate to you (Shapiro, 2004). |
Activities to Develop Social Skills
1. Dramatic Play Read a picture book with your child. If your child is older you can read a chapter book over time. After you have read the book, have your child choose a character from the book that you read. Explain to your child that they will have to dress up like the character they have chosen. You also tell them how you will do the same thing of dressing up like the character you have chosen. Then, let your child choose a page or scene they would want to act out. Help your if she/he is having trouble choosing one. Act the chosen scene! The children get very excited and learn better when adults participate too (Shapiro, 2004). Present the following examples to your child/ren, one at a time. After each example, ask your child/ren whether it would be easy or hard for him/her/them to share in the situation. Encourage him/her/them to talk about what they would do, and why (Shapiro, 2004) .
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References
1. http://www.kidspot.com.au/Development-Development-Social-and-emotional-development-in-babies-and-children+5368+553+article.htm
2. http://www.socialskillscentral.com/free/101_Ways_Teach_Children_Social_Skills.pdf
3. Woolfolke, A.E., Winne, P. H. & Perry, N.E. (2012). Educational Psychology. Toronto: Pearson Canada. p. 45 –
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1. http://www.kidspot.com.au/Development-Development-Social-and-emotional-development-in-babies-and-children+5368+553+article.htm
2. http://www.socialskillscentral.com/free/101_Ways_Teach_Children_Social_Skills.pdf
3. Woolfolke, A.E., Winne, P. H. & Perry, N.E. (2012). Educational Psychology. Toronto: Pearson Canada. p. 45 –
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