The early years are a period of self-discovery. A large component of this includes social development. What is social development? Social development is the ability to interact with others and regulate one’s own behaviour.1,2
"Teacher–child interactions are the most vital component of ECEC service quality in terms of children’s social-emotional functioning." 1
It includes how we think and feel about ourselves and other people.3 The ability to connect and relate to each other is an important component to building relationships and building confidence. Some of the benefits of developing social skills include the ability to:
Reflection Sciences offers milestones of social development in early childhood for children between the ages of three and four: 2
By the time children reach four to five years of age they gain a greater sense of self-identity. Here are a few characteristics of children in this age bracket:2
Emotion charades involves writing different emotions on strips of paper. Your child picks one out of a hat or bucket. Then, they must try to act out that emotion.
Simon Says builds social skills for kids' self-control, listening, and impulse control as they copy their peers' movements and follow instructions. It also helps keep the attention on the game and rewards good behavior for those who follow the rules throughout the game.