Social skills for preschoolers activities

As your preschoolers' skills increase, their social and emotional learning skills will become more complex. At this stage, they enjoy playing with other children, rather than alone. They are more creative and like to pretend, so now is a great time to add dress-up clothes and props for more imaginative play. Also, they want to try new things, so be creative and use your imagination when planning your social-emotional learning activities for preschoolers.

What Sound?

This one can be a lot of fun to watch children express different sounds. First, have children sit back to back. One at a time, have them make a sound (like an animal sound) and see if the other person can guess the sound. Then switch.

Follow The Rhythm

Create a pattern of sounds using musical instruments like drums or even pots and pans with wooden spoons. For instance, you bang on the drum three times. Then have your child repeat what you did. As the child increases their proficiency, you can make rhythm patterns more complicated.

Listening Activity With Blocks

Here is an easy and fun activity for one or more preschoolers, to reinforce active listening. Start with a large container of magnetic tiles in a variety of colors. Ask the first child to add "a blue block to the tower." Next, ask the second child to "add two green blocks to the tower." Continue until you run out of blocks. You can increase the difficulty if the children seem to be listening well by adding more complex instructions. For example, "add one red block, one blue block, and two green blocks."

Obstacle Courses

Kids love them! Not only do kids reinforce their listening and following direction skills, but they build gross motor skills too! It is important to start small. Depending on your child's age and ability, begin with 3-5 obstacles or tasks.

Here are some ways to focus on listening and following direction skills.

• Give them the exact directions on how to move through the obstacle course. For instance, if you use giant building blocks, tell them whether to go over, around, or knock them down.
• Try incorporating a station where they have to stop and listen for the directions like "Simon says..." Once the task is completed, they can continue.
• What about including a magnetic blocks station where they must build a pyramid.

Games To Enhance Social And Emotional Skills

Playing games offers many benefits. They encourage early learning, paying attention, and increase language development. They provide opportunities to connect, to step away from our screens, and teach the value of teamwork. Most importantly, they focus on having fun.

Red Light, Green Light For Preschoolers

A classic childhood game for preschoolers, with a twist. Once your child understands red means stop and green means go, you can increase the complexity by adding additional "light" colors. For example, "yellow light" for clapping, "blue light" for turning around, and "orange light" for jumping in place.

Or reverse the colors with "red light," meaning go and "green light," meaning stop. These simple variations force them to listen more carefully.

Mother May I? 

Another childhood classic that requires following directions. One kid is the "mother" and stands far away, facing the line of children. "Mother" then chooses one child at a time and gives them a direction. Typically, these directions follow a standard, such as "Luke may take three giant steps forward" or "Hannah, you may take four baby steps forward. " The child then asks, "Mother may I?" and "mother" replies yes or no. If the child forgets to answer, "Mother, may I?" then they have to go back to the beginning. The first child to get to "mother" wins.

Simon Says (try a twist of "Listen To What I Say And Not What I Do")

You know how it goes, right? Someone gets to be "Simon" and gives directions to the other players. For preschoolers, you can add complexity by providing more than one-step instructions. For example, try "jump two times, clap your hands, and turn around."

Remember if they give an instruction without saying, "Simon says…" first, then the child does not follow the direction. If they do, then they are out!

Here is a fun twist on the game for older preschoolers. This version "Listen To What I Say And Not What I Do" requires kids to focus their listening and NOT uses visual cues. For instance, "Simon says...,: "run in place," but he is jumping in place. Then the correct action is to "run in place."

Here are a few fun commands to get the game started. "Simon says…"

1. Play air guitar
2. Waddle like a penguin
3. Act like a monkey
4. Bark like a dog
5. Meow like a cat
6. Start singing
7. Start dancing
8. Cry like a baby
9. Pretend to climb a ladder
10. Walk backward

Build It! (a variation on the "Teacher Says" game)

In this version, you play with blocks.

1. Gather a bunch of wooden building blocks as props and place them in the middle of the room.
2. Choose one child to be the "builder" and explain the game.
3. Next, you are the "contractor" to model how the game is played. Continue in this mode until the kids fully understand how to play the game. Then one of the kids can be the "contractor."
4. Finally, give the "builder" a set of 2-4 directions, such as "line up two wooden square blocks, add one rectangle block on top, and one triangle block to the top." As you play, show useful listening methods, like making eye contact with the speaker, repeating the directions, waiting for all the instructions before starting, and creating a picture in your mind.

"Please" And "Thank You" Game

This game is a fun way to practice table manners before a special dinner like Christmas or Thanksgiving. Create make-believe food dishes to pass. Have your kids draw pictures of various dishes, such as mashed potatoes, broccoli, or pie on the plates. Also, you could simply cut them out of magazines or print them from the internet. Then glue the pictures to paper plates for passing.

Here is how to play:

1. Start with the first "dish."
2. Have the child name the food. Ask if they like it?
3. If they do not like it, have them say, "No, thank you." If they do, "Yes, please!"
4. Afterward, they pass the plate to the next child, asking, "Would you like some________?
5. The child can then respond with a "No, thank you" or a "Yes, please."
6. Continue until you have passed all the "dishes."

Music and Dance Activities

Dance and music are not just fun for toddlers and preschoolers, but they are beneficial too! Music cultivates communication and allows kids to express themselves. Furthermore, it contributes to imagination and creativity.

Let's Have A Dance Party!

This one starts with some music. Next, either an adult or a child may be the "dance leader." The "leader" starts dancing, and everyone must follow the moves exactly. Make it fun and silly! After about 30 seconds, but no more than a minute, the "leader" calls out another child's name, and they become the next "dance leader." Continue changing places until everyone has had a chance to be the "dance leader." Beware if you are caught not making the moves exactly, you will have to take a seat.

Freeze Dance

Kids love nothing more than music and dancing! This one is simple and fun. Play some music, and the kids start dancing, once the music stops, they "freeze." You can also add some variations like having them dance to the beat of the music, for instance, dancing slow motion to slow music and dancing fast to fast beat music. Or reverse it, dancing slowly to fast music and fast to slow music.

Easy social activities for toddlers and preschoolers are a fun way to help children learn how to listen, follow directions, and use good manners. For more development activities, check out our "Simple Block Activities For Toddlers And Preschoolers" post. 

Check back soon for an upcoming post on more social-emotional activities for preschoolers and toddlers, focused on exploring their feelings, cooperation, and how to make and keep friends. Until then, we hope you enjoy your time together playing and practicing.

13 Social Skills Activities for Preschoolers + Milestones

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The foundation for a person’s social behaviour is laid during the early years, which makes preschool a crucial time to ensure your children are learning social skills.

In this article I’ll explain briefly:

• why social skills are important
• examples of social skills for preschoolers
• the stages of social development
• social milestones by age
• 13 social skills activities for kids

Developing social skills in preschoolers is vital in order for them to be able to interact with others successfully and form healthy relationships throughout life.

As children grow, they learn about social roles, values and behaviours from the world around them.

Parents, siblings, extended family, peers and teachers all have a role to play in moulding children’s social skills.

Healthy socializing involves three general things – generosity, helpfulness and taking turns.

Generosity

Generosity is about sharing with family as well as friends. Children must also learn to respect others’ rights and possessions.

Helpfulness

Learning to be friendly, considerate and helpful must be balanced with not being overly submissive and stifling the development of their own personalities.

Taking Turns

This is one of the most important skills to learn. It is the basis of courtesy and thoughtfulness and is relevant at almost every level of life.

Children must allow others to have their turn but also have the self-confidence to insist on getting their own turn, without trying to dominate activities and conversations. The example parents set is important.

The social and emotional development of a child is an important aspect of their growth, just as much as intellectual or physical development, which we tend to pay more attention to.

Children need to build a set of prosocial skills in order to navigate communicating with others and building relationships.

Here are some examples of social skills, as shared by Marike de Witt in her book “The Young Child in Context: A psycho-social perspective“.

These social skills, as well as the

• Cooperating
• Being helpful
• Compromising
• Giving
• Sharing
• Taking turns
• Negotiating
• Showing sympathy
• Having empathy
• Imitating
• Protecting
• Assuming responsibility
• Respecting others’ views
• Showing attachment

Antisocial behaviours prevent children from communicating effectively. These are a few examples:

• Selfishness
• Telling lies
• Aggression
• Egocentrism
• Taking others’ possessions
• Bossiness
• Destructiveness
• Prejudice

In order to help children build social skills, it is necessary to first understand the social stages and milestones they will progress through so you can support them at their stage of maturity.

For example, there is no need to worry that your 2-year-old won’t share his toys as this is normal at his age. He is not yet mature enough to understand the concept of sharing.

De Witt divides social development into three main stages: the Infancy, Childhood and Youthful periods.

This stage begins at birth and ends at the first signs of speech. During this stage, infants learn to tell the difference between their own bodies and the environment around them.

Social development is strongly influenced by the mother-child relationship because the way a mother cares for her child will either convey tenderness or anxiety.

The childhood period begins when a child uses clear speech and lasts up until the need for playmates of the same age emerges.

By following the example set by the parents, a child begins to classify his own behaviour as good or bad. He also realizes the difference between enemies and friends.

During this stage, children acquire language as well as cultural customs, such as hygiene, toilet or eating practices.

This period begins when children prefer to play with others of the same age. More complex skills of interpersonal behaviour are learnt, such as cooperation, competition and compromise.

Here is a table of common milestones that occur at various ages as a child matures. It is a summary of the milestones in the book “The Young Child in Context: A psycho-social perspective“.

12 Months

• Shows affection for people she knows
• Likes to be around loved ones – to always hear or see them
• Passes an object or toy to an adult when asked, and sometimes even spontaneously
• Waves goodbye
• Begins to play games such as hide-and-seek

18 Months

• Plays alone happily but likes to be near a familiar adult or older sibling
• Likes other children but does not play with them
• Shows affection for family members, pets and dolls
• Begins to imitate people
• Repeats actions and expressions that receive a positive reaction

2 Years

• Likes people but is still egocentric
• Follows caregivers around the house and demands constant attention
• Imitates domestic activities
• May take turns but has difficulty sharing toys or adult attention
• Throws tantrums in order to be understood
• Happily plays near other children, but not yet with them (parallel play)
• Sometimes hits or bites children to get a reaction
• Can role play e. g. put a doll to sleep or wash the dishes

3 Years

• Begins to behave unselfishly
• Shows affection for younger siblings
• Likes helping with domestic activities such as shopping or cleaning
• Begins to share with others
• Enjoys playing alone and with other children
• Begins to show a preference for certain friends
• Begins to show sympathy when someone is upset
• Engages in make-believe play with dolls and toys and enjoys pretending to be someone else
• Still sees most things from their own perspective
• Talks about self, family and possessions
• Shows empathy with characters in stories
• Can wait for you to finish before talking
• Sometimes has an imaginary friend

4 Years

• Really enjoys the company of friends and can play in a group
• Often has a best friend
• Is strong willed
• Begins to form a sense of humour
• Understands taking turns and sharing
• Shows concern and sympathy towards younger siblings and friends
• Engages in dramatic make-believe play
• Becomes competitive
• Social skills develop such as – saying please and thank you (if taught), greeting people, talking to them, and showing respect towards others in the home

5 Years

• Behaves in a more controlled and sensible way
• Cooperates with companions and understands the need for rules and fair play
• Has a definite sense of humour
• Shows tenderness towards and is protective of younger children and pets
• Enjoys competitive games
• Enjoys fantasy games
• Chooses own friends (usually of the same sex)
• Begins to learn the value of compromise and negotiation

As you can see, sharing is a struggle for very young children. The advice is usually to divert and redirect attention when dealing with toddlers [source].

The most important activity your children can engage in, in order to develop their social skills, is play.

When preschool children play together they learn together.

Here are some reasons play is important for your child’s social development.

1. It teaches cooperation and how to take turns
2. Children are able to try different roles and personalities
3. Play teaches children to verbalize their needs
4. Kids learn to lead and follow
5. It provides a broad base for the use of social language skills
6. Children learn to respect others’ rights and possessions
7. They develop an awareness of themselves as a member of a group
8. Through play, they understand their own culture and values
9. They gain knowledge about society’s rules and about group responsibility
10. Play develops a positive self-image and self-concept
11. It teaches how to participate in a group
12. It promotes gender-role identification
13. Children develop common goals and interests as they play together
14. They learn to see others’ perspectives
15. Children experience delight when playing

If you are wondering what activities would be most effective to help a child develop positive social skills, the answer is that you don’t really need a list of specific activities to “teach” them about socializing.

Rather, it is about giving them enough opportunities to play and interact and encouraging certain types of games and activities that involve interaction and cooperation.

You can discuss or play social skills games around topics like feelings and how to cope with conflict, but it will only be through experiencing these feelings and conflicts that your children will really learn these lessons and understand these concepts in a meaningful way.

Here are some simple social development activities for 3-5-year-olds.

1.

Invite friends over for a playdate and take your children to play with friends as often as you can. Playing with siblings is also good interaction.

The more opportunities your child has to mix with others, the more they will practise socializing.

Don’t leave your young child alone with a friend if he is not yet comfortable. Give him time to build trust.

2.

Play group games that involve taking turns and following rules.

Children will learn with time that social interaction is fun and that in order for the game to work, they need to consider each other and all be active participants.

Also, encourage musical games such as musical chairs where there are rules to follow and children have to compete while still considering each other and being comfortable with losing sometimes (e.g. if your friend gets to a chair before you).

This takes maturity to understand.

3.

Board games are an excellent activity for older preschool children. These should have multiple players (even if you start with 2), rules and an objective (e.g. in Snakes and Ladders the objective is to reach the end first).

It can be a complex task for a child to learn to follow rules and keep the game positive while competing with friends or family members.

Younger children can start with simple card games or very basic board games.

4.

Fantasy, or dress-up play, is an important part of learning to socialize. During this kind of play, children make sense of their world and the people around them by role-playing.

This is how they “practise” being an adult, behaving and interacting as an adult would. They also act out their own social customs and norms.

Fantasy play is a great social learning activity for children playing with one or more friends, as well as for smaller children playing alone.

Even though the child is alone, the activity revolves around pretending to interact with others, which is a great way to safely act out an interaction.

Provide opportunities at home by having a dress-up section in your child’s room. Provide different themed clothes and props and change them frequently to encourage new ideas.

5.

When children play with blocks together, they initially play alongside each other, building their own structures.

With time and maturity, they begin to share blocks, take an interest in each other’s structures and finally end up building something together.

This is one of those activities where you will see this progression clearly.

By the time children are building together, they are learning to share, listen to each other’s ideas, problem-solve, organize, share opinions, negotiate, compromise and work towards a common goal.

6.

Sensory play is a fun activity that children love to do together. Whether they are playing with water, mud or sand, there is much sharing, negotiating and cooperation. It also often leads to fantasy play.

7.

When children are involved in creative activities such as drawing, painting, cutting, pasting or moulding playdough, they are often deep in conversation at the same time.

These activities usually happen around a table where the children are sitting calmly and are fully engaged with their playmates.

Some of the most intriguing and complex socializing I have witnessed has been around an art table.

8.

Reading to a child is my absolute favourite activity and one with so many benefits. Stories are all about people and animals and their relationships and interactions.

Read to your child daily and she will constantly be listening to how characters socialize, deal with problems, show emotions and generally interact.

You may find it hard to explain to a young child what empathy is, for example, but you can certainly teach the message with a story and let your child experience this trait on her own through listening.

9.

Along with reading, discussions are another way to teach your children social skills.

Use every opportunity possible to discuss how your children feel, to talk about their friendships and even discuss the characters in the stories and how they handled certain situations.

When your children experience conflict with a friend, discussing possible solutions or how they can handle it is a far more educational experience than immediately intervening.

In my experience teaching in the classroom, the children who had lovely manners were taught at home as toddlers. Those who hadn’t been taught seldom spontaneously said please or thank you without being constantly prompted and reminded.

It is too late to teach a 3 or 4-year-old manners and courtesy. Start as early as possible.

11.

The best socializing and learning occurs naturally – when children are playing freely with each other.

You may choose to present and encourage certain activities, such as an art project, but know that any time spent playing with others is time they are learning valuable social skills.

Try not to let screen time or too many planned activities get in the way of real play and socializing.

…and don’t forget these two important points:

12.

A child’s primary relationship – with his parents – is the basis for all future socializing.

The relationship should be warm and close. Your child should feel love, security, acceptance, trust and self-esteem.

13.

Children learn about socially acceptable behaviour by watching their parents. They learn more from watching you than from listening to you. 

I hope you enjoyed these ideas and activities for developing social skills in preschoolers.

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Social skills of preschoolers - the development of social skills in children

The development of social skills is a necessary point of education. A child with a high degree of socialization will quickly get used to kindergarten, school, any new team; in the future will easily find a job. Social skills have a positive effect on interpersonal relationships - friendship, the ability to cooperate.

Let's figure out what social skills are.

What are social skills and why develop them?

Social skills - a group of skills, abilities that are formed during the interaction of a person with society and affect the quality of communication with people.

Man is a social being: all our talents and aspirations are realized thanks to other members of the group. Others evaluate our actions, approve or condemn our behavior. It is difficult to reach the pinnacle of self-actualization alone.

That is why social skills are important. They should be developed from early childhood and honed throughout life.

Social skills are a reflection of the child's emotional intelligence, to which educators and teachers assign an important role in the process of personality development. Without this group of skills, a smart child will not be able to apply the acquired knowledge in practice: it is not enough to create something outstanding, you need to be able to correctly convey thoughts to the public.

Sometimes people mistakenly believe that social skills relate exclusively to the topic of communication, communication. In fact, skills include many multidirectional aspects: an adequate perception of one's own individuality, the ability to empathize, work in a team, etc.

Why do we need social skills?

1. Regulate the area of ​​interpersonal relationships: the child easily makes new friends, finds like-minded people.
2. Minimize psychological stress: children with developed social skills quickly adapt, do not feel sad due to changes in external circumstances.
3. They form an adequate self-esteem from childhood, which positively affects life achievements and development in adulthood.
4. Social skills cannot be separated from building a successful career: the best specialists must not only understand the profession, but also have high emotional intelligence.

Development of social skills in a child

Social skills need to be developed from preschool age, but older children and even teenagers may well learn to interact with the world.

It is recommended to pay attention to areas of life that bring discomfort to the child, significantly complicate everyday life.

1. Friends, interesting interlocutors: the kid does not know how to join the team, he prefers to sit in the corner while the others play.
2. Verbal difficulties. The child does not understand the rules of conversation, is poorly versed in the formulas of etiquette (when you need to say hello, say goodbye, offer help).
3. Problems with the non-verbal side of communication. Such a baby does not recognize the shades of emotions, it is difficult to understand how others relate to him. Cannot "read" faces and gestures.
4. Does not know the measure in expressing a point of view: too passive or, conversely, aggressive.
5. The child bullies classmates (participates in bullying) or is a victim.

In case of severe moral trauma, one should consult a psychologist: for example, school bullying is a complex problem that children are not able to cope with on their own. The involvement of parents and teachers is required.

In other cases, family members may well be able to help the child develop social skills.

What are the general recommendations?

1. Be patient

Don't push your child to get the job done. Let them take the initiative: for example, do not rush to help during school gatherings, let the baby work on the problem on his own. The same goes for lessons and other activities.

2. Support undertakings

Children's dreams seem trifling to adults, but the initiative turns into a habit over the years and helps to discover new projects, meet people, and experiment.

3. Criticize the right way

When making negative comments, remember the golden rule of criticism: analyze the work, highlighting both positive and negative sides in a polite way. Commenting on the specific actions of the child, and not his personality or appearance - this will lead to problems with self-esteem.

4. The right to choose

It is important for children to feel that their voice is taken into account and influences the course of events. Invite your child to personally choose clothes, books, cartoons. Ask about ideas, plans: “We are going to have a rest together at the weekend. What are your suggestions?

5. Personal space

Make sure that the baby has a place where he can be alone and take a break from talking. Personal things should not be touched: rearrange without prior discussion, read correspondence with friends, check pockets, etc.

Children, noticing the respectful attitude of adults, quickly begin to pay in the same coin; the atmosphere in the family becomes warm and trusting.

What social skills should be developed in a child?

Let's dwell on the main qualities and skills, the development of which is worth paying attention to.

1. The ability to ask, accept and provide help

Without the ability to ask for help, the child will deprive himself of valuable advice; the lack of the ability to accept help will lead to losses, and the inability to provide help will make the baby self-centered.

• Let the child help those in need: for example, a lagging classmate.
• Explain to your child that getting help from friends and teachers is not a shame.
• Show by personal example that mutual help enriches experience: tell how you exchange advice with colleagues, friends.

2. The ability to conduct a conversation and get the right information

Being a good conversationalist is difficult, but the skill is honed over time and brings a lot of benefits.

• Prompt your child for dialogue development options: for example, you can start a conversation with a relevant question, a request for help.
• Do not leave the child in the role of a silent listener: when discussing pressing issues at home, ask the opinion of the baby.
• Support children's public speaking: presentations at school, performances, funny stories surrounded by loved ones will add confidence.

3. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to recognize the emotions of others, put yourself in the place of another person, empathize.

This ability will make the child humane, prudent. How can it be developed?

• Start by recognizing the child's feelings - it is useless to listen to people if the person does not feel personal experiences. Ask your baby: “How do you feel after a quarrel with friends?”, “Do you want to relax today?”
• After conflicts with classmates, ask your child how the children with whom the quarrel may feel now.
• While watching cartoons, reading books, pay your child's attention to the emotional state of the characters.

4. Ability to work in a team

Many children can easily cope with tasks alone, but this is not a reason to refuse to work in a team. It gives the opportunity to exchange ideas and experience, delegate tasks, achieve goals faster and more efficiently.

• If the child does not communicate with members of the team, try to introduce him to another social group: for example, the lack of communication with classmates can be compensated by a circle of interests, where the child will feel calmer.
• Make the family a friendly team in which the child has his own "duties": for example, do housework, remind parents of upcoming events. Any activity related to the well-being of other family members will do.

5. Respect for personal boundaries

The absence of an obsessive desire to interfere in other people's lives is a valuable skill that helps to win people's sympathy.

• Respect the child's personal boundaries: do not enter the nursery unannounced, do not rummage through personal belongings and correspondence, if the matter does not concern the life and safety of the baby.
• If the child violates other people's boundaries (takes toys without permission, asks uncomfortable questions), talk about it in private.

6. Ability to overcome conflict situations

It is difficult to imagine our life without conflicts. The task of the child is to learn how to culturally enter into a discussion, defend his point of view, and not be led by the provocations of his interlocutors.

• Discuss problems that arise calmly, without raising your voice. Do not put pressure on the child with parental authority unnecessarily: the child is a separate person who has the right to an opinion.
• Do not judge people for views that differ from those of your family but do not affect your well-being. Show your child that the world is very different.
• You can demonstrate to children the basics of a civilized dispute, explain what arguments are, etc. It is advisable to teach this child in kindergarten.

7.

Stable and adequate self-esteem is a quality that not all adults possess.

It is formed under the influence of many factors: relationships between parents, the role of the child in the family circle, the characteristics of the environment that surrounded the child in early childhood.

It is important that the child does not grow up to be either a narcissistic narcissist with fragile self-esteem, or an overly shy person. How can you help your child find balance?

• Praise your child for personal progress: to receive a compliment from parents, it is not necessary to win prizes in school competitions. The zeal of the baby, the interest shown and the stamina also deserve praise.
• Explain, remind the children that initially they are worthy of respect and love, like all people around.

Social skills will help in many areas of life: in studies, hobbies, friendships, building a reputation in a team. The main thing is to encourage and support children at all stages.

Emotional intelligence for children

We introduce children to the types of emotions, how to manage them and how to show themselves in teamwork, through situational games

learn more

Social development of preschoolers: stages, factors, means

Everyone knows that childhood is a special and unique period in everyone's life. In childhood, not only the foundations of health are laid, but also a personality is formed: its values, preferences, guidelines. The way a child's childhood passes directly affects the success of his future life. A valuable experience of this period is social development. The psychological readiness of a child for school largely depends on whether he knows how to build communication with other children and adults, and how to cooperate with them correctly. It is also important for a preschooler how quickly he acquires knowledge appropriate to his age. All these factors are the key to successful study in the future. Next, about what you need to pay attention to in the social development of a preschooler.

• 1 What is social development

  • 1.1 In the video, the teacher shares the experience of socialization of preschoolers

• 2 Stages of social development of a child

• 3 Social factors

• 4 Social education and its means

• 5 Social development in kindergarten

• 6 Development of social skills

• 7 Social adaptation of children

• 8 Social exclusion

• 9 Terminals

What is social development

What does the term “social development” (or “socialization”) mean? This is a process in which the child adopts the traditions, values, culture of the society in which he will live and develop. That is, the baby is the basic formation of the original culture. Social development is carried out through communication with peers and adults. When communicating, the child begins to live by the rules, trying to take into account his interests and interlocutors, adopts specific behavioral norms. The environment surrounding the baby, which also directly affects its development, is not just the outside world with streets, houses, roads, objects. Environment - first of all, these are people who interact with each other according to certain rules that prevail in society. Any person who meets on the way of a child brings something new into his life, thus directly or indirectly shaping him. The adult demonstrates knowledge, skills and abilities regarding how to make contact with people and objects. The child, in turn, inherits what he sees, copies it. Using this experience, children learn to communicate in their own little world with each other.

It is known that individuals are not born, but become. And the formation of a fully developed personality is greatly influenced by communication with people. That is why parents should pay enough attention to the formation of the child's ability to find contact with other people.

In the video, the teacher shares his experience of socialization of preschoolers

“Do you know that the main (and first) source of a child's communicative experience is his family, which is a “guide” to the world of knowledge, values, traditions and experience of modern society. It is from parents that you can learn the rules of communication with peers, learn to communicate freely. A positive socio-psychological climate in the family, a warm homely atmosphere of love, trust and mutual understanding will help the baby adapt to life and feel confident.”

Stages of social development of a child

1. Infancy. Social development begins in a preschooler as early as infancy. With the help of a mother or another person who often spends time with a newborn, the baby learns the basics of communication, using communication tools such as facial expressions and movements, as well as sounds.
2. Six months to two years. The baby's communication with adults becomes situational, which manifests itself in the form of practical interaction. A child often needs the help of parents, some joint actions for which he applies.
3. Three years. In this age period, the baby already requires society: he wants to communicate in a team of peers. The child enters the children's environment, adapts to it, accepts its norms and rules, and parents actively help in this. They tell the preschooler what to do and what not to do: is it worth taking other people's toys, is it good to be greedy, is it necessary to share, is it possible to offend children, how to be patient and polite, and so on.
4. Four to five years. This age segment is characterized by the fact that babies begin to ask an infinite number of questions about everything in the world (which are not always answered even by adults!). Communication of a preschooler becomes brightly emotionally colored, aimed at cognition. The speech of the baby becomes the main way of his communication: using it, he exchanges information and discusses with adults the phenomena of the world around him.
5. Six to seven years. The child's communication takes on a personal form. At this age, children are already interested in questions about the essence of man. This period is considered the most important in the formation of the personality and citizenship of the child. A preschooler needs an explanation of many life moments, advice, support and understanding from adults, because they are a role model. Looking at adults, six-year-olds copy their style of communication, relationships with other people, and the peculiarities of their behavior. This is the beginning of the formation of your personality.

Social factors

What influences the baby's socialization?

• family
• kindergarten
• child's environment
• children's institutions (kindergarten, development center, circles, sections, studios)
• child activities
• television, children's press
• literature, music
• nature

All this makes up the child's social environment.

Raising a child, do not forget about the harmonious combination of various ways, means and methods.

Social education and its means

Social education of preschool children is the most important aspect of a child's development, because preschool age is the best period for a child's development, development of his communicative and moral qualities. At this age, there is an increase in the volume of communication with peers and adults, the complication of activities, the organization of joint activities with peers. Social education is interpreted as the creation of pedagogical conditions for the purpose of positive development of a person's personality, his spiritual and value orientation.

Let's list the main means of social education of preschoolers :

1. Game.
2. Communication with children.
3. Conversation.
4. Discussing the actions of the child.
5. Exercises for the development of horizons.
6. Reading.

The main activity of preschool children and an effective means of social education is role-playing game . By teaching the kid such games, we offer him certain patterns of behavior, actions and interactions that he can play. The child begins to think about how relations between people take place, realize the meaning of their work. In their games, the baby most often imitates the behavior of adults. Together with his peers, he creates game-situations where he “tryes on” the roles of fathers and mothers, doctors, waiters, hairdressers, builders, drivers, businessmen, etc.

“It is interesting that by imitating different roles, the child learns to perform actions, coordinating them with the moral norms prevailing in society. So the baby unconsciously prepares himself for life in the world of adults.

Such games are useful in that while playing, a preschooler learns to find solutions to various life situations, including conflict resolution.

“Council. Conduct exercises and activities for the child more often that develop the horizons of the baby. Introduce him to the masterpieces of children's literature and classical music. Study colorful encyclopedias and children's reference books. Do not forget to talk with the child: kids also need an explanation of their actions and advice from parents and teachers.

Social development in kindergarten

How does kindergarten influence successful socialization of a child?

In the kindergarten:

• a special socially shaping environment was created
• organized communication with children and adults
• organized gaming, labor and educational activities
• civil-patriotic orientation is being implemented
• organized interaction with the family
• introduced the principles of social partnership.

The presence of these aspects determines the positive impact on the child's socialization.

There is an opinion that going to kindergarten is not necessary at all. However, in addition to general developmental activities and preparation for school, a child who goes to kindergarten also develops socially. All conditions have been created for this in the kindergarten:

• zoning
• play and educational equipment
• games
• didactic and teaching aids
• the presence of a children's team
• communication with adults.

All these conditions simultaneously include preschoolers in intensive cognitive and creative activities that ensure their social development, form communication skills and the formation of their socially significant personal characteristics.

It will not be easy for a child who does not attend kindergarten to organize a combination of all the above developmental factors.

Development of social skills

The development of social skills in preschool children has a positive effect on their activities in life. General upbringing, manifested in graceful manners, easy communication with people, the ability to be attentive to people, try to understand them, sympathize, and help are the most important indicators of the development of social skills. Also important is the ability to talk about your own needs, set goals correctly and achieve them. In order to direct the upbringing of a preschooler in the right direction of successful socialization, we suggest following the aspects of developing social skills:

1. Show your child social skills. In the case of babies: smile at the baby - he will answer you the same. This will be the first social interaction.
2. Talk to your baby. Answer the sounds made by the baby with words, phrases. This way you will establish contact with the baby and soon teach him to speak.
3. Teach your child to be attentive. It is not necessary to bring up an egoist: more often let the child understand that other people also have their own needs, desires, worries.
4. When educating, be kind. In upbringing, stand your ground, but without shouting, but with love.
5. Teach your child respect. Explain that objects have value and should be treated with care. Especially if it's someone else's stuff.
6. Learn to share toys. This will help him make friends faster.
7. Create a social circle for your baby. Strive to organize the communication of the baby with peers in the yard, at home, in a children's institution.
8. Praise good behavior. The child is smiling, obedient, kind, gentle, not greedy: why not praise him? He will consolidate the understanding of how to behave better, and acquired the necessary social skills.
9. Talk to your child. Teach preschoolers to communicate, share experiences, analyze actions.
10. Encourage mutual assistance, attention to children. Discuss more often situations from the life of a child: in this way he will learn the basics of morality.

Social adaptation of children

Social adaptation is a prerequisite and the result of successful socialization of a preschooler.

It occurs in three areas:

• activity
• consciousness
• communication.

Field of activity implies a variety and complexity of activities, a good command of each of its types, its understanding and possession of it, the ability to carry out activities in various forms.

Indicators of a developed sphere of communication are characterized by the expansion of the child's circle of communication, the deepening of the quality of its content, the possession of generally accepted norms and rules of behavior, the ability to use its various forms and types suitable for the child's social environment and society.

The developed sphere of consciousness is characterized by work on the formation of the image of one's own "I" as a subject of activity, understanding one's social role, and the formation of self-esteem.

During the socialization of a child, along with the desire to do everything as everyone else does (mastering the generally accepted rules and norms of behavior), a desire is manifested to stand out, to show individuality (development of independence, one's own opinion). Thus, the social development of a preschooler occurs in harmoniously existing directions:

• socialization
• individualization.

In the case when a balance is established between socialization and individualization during socialization, an integrated process takes place aimed at the successful entry of the child into society. This is social adaptation.

Social maladaptation

If, when a child enters a certain group of peers, there is no conflict between generally accepted standards and individual qualities of the child, then it is considered that he has adapted to the environment.

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