a4 - social development across the life stages Flashcards
what is social development?
- learning how to interact socially with others
- provides opportunities and skills that enable development of relationships
- piaget highlighted importance of play for learning and development
what is parallel play?
- between 2-3 years old
- when children play next to or near each other, but not with each other
- default mode of play for babies and toddlers who haven’t yet adapted the skills to play socially with others
- children are mostly in their own world, zero input from other children
what is co-operative play?
- between 3-8 years old
- widening social network, forming relationships with peers and adults
- becoming more co-operative, helped by development of language
- for example, moving away when having disagreements, sharing toys, taking turns
- by 7, will have established some important friends and may refer to one as ‘best friend’
- this is all essential for communication skills, negotiating roles and appreciating the feelings of others
parallel vs solitary play
- solitary play is when a child plays completely on their own, eg. keeping themselves occupied by building a block tower
- during parallel play, multiple children play in close proximity without any engagement
- these activities give children a chance to explore without distraction and build new skills, and parallel play can give new ideas from others and sets the stage for more interactive forms of play
the importance of parallel play
- still learning from friends even though they aren’t interacting, observing children around them
- eventually will begin to imitate the actions and ways of playing of his friends (positive peer pressure)
- opens child’s mind to new possibilities for play and may even initiate learning of new words
how parents can support children with parallel play
- offering opportunities to play with others
- day care or nursery already provide these opportunities
- when at home, parents can set up playdates, meet up with friends at play areas etc.
- resisting the urge to hover too much, let kids keep themselves busy, and in the case of disagreements let the children work things out on their own
- if the situation escalates, dont discipline but model positive sharing behaviour
how parallel play supports a child’s development
- too young to make friends so side-by-side play is a good start, may even pick out a few friends to play alongside more frequently
- laying the foundation for more social interactions in the future, will learn that others have similar thoughts and feelings
- by pre-school age, playing will start to involve more interactions and children start to create new ideas or games and learning to take turns and show empathy for one another
- by school age, will form first real friendships and develop preferences for who they play with
social benefits of friendships
- support with traumatic life events such as bereavement, illness, other relationships breaking down etc.
- help to maintain a healthy lifestyle
- groups help to avoid loneliness and provide a sense of belonging
- leads to reduction of stress and a boost in happiness
why might friendships and friendship groups grow apart?
- changing interests or circumstances
- growing older
- other priorities emerging
- career and home commitments
- caring for children or adults
effects of peer pressure on social development
- between 9-18, entering puberty and adolescence, close link between social and emotional development
- becoming more independent and socialising outside of the family, peer groups play an important part in this stage
- peer pressure can be challenging for teenagers and their families
examples -
- drinking alcohol
- taking drugs or smoking / vaping
- engaging in sexual activities
- rebelling against parents
- taking risks
friendships between young children
- tend to form relationships based on play
- quickly fall out with each other but just as quickly make up
friendships between older children and adults
- may require new skills
- ability to create relationships follows a pattern
- as children start to see world from other’s viewpoints, become able to develop meaningful relationships
informal vs formal relationships
informal -
- develop within families and with significant individuals
- start in infancy and develop into strong bonds
- built on trust and understanding
- promote a positive self-concept
- prepares adolescents and adults for developing intimate relationships that show mutual respect
formal -
- develop between people who are not related or friends, for instance between colleagues
- do not involve emotional attachments
- important for social development
- demand different skills, confidence and self esteem
- children who have positive relationships with family are more likely to be successful in developing formal relationships
development of independence - infancy and childhood
- totally dependent on others for care
- towards end of this stage begin to do more for themselves
- by age of 8 will have developed independent skills and likes / dislikes
development of independence - peer influence in adolescence
- begin to question own identity and who they are
- able to see themselves as separate independence from family
