Social development across the life stages Flashcards
What are the benefits of play during infancy and early childhood?
Children learn basic social skills through play. They develop a self, learn to interact with other children, how to make friends and how to roleplay.
Description of the stages of play:
Solo play / 0 -1 year / : Looks at adults closely, puts things into mouth and touches things with hands. Plays alone with toys. Gradually begins to play simple games,
Solo play / 1 year - 18 months / : Begins to play and talk alone. Repeats actions and starts to play with adults.
Notices other children
Parallel play / 18 months - 2 years / : Begins to enjoy repetitive actions. Begins to copy other children and adults. Enjoys playing with adults as well as on own. But they have not develop the sharing and taking turns skills. Learns to complete tasks through trial and error.
Associative play / 3 - 4 years / : Begins to play co-operatively with other children and starts to show reasoning
skills by asking questions ‘why’ and ‘how’. They join in pretend and fantasy games, negotiating and taking on roles.
Co operative play / 4 - 6 years / : Begins to use simple rules in games. Plays co-operatively towards a shared goal and takes turns when playing table top games with other children.
Co operative / 6 - 8 years / : Begins to enjoy playing in small groups, making up own games and rules. Enjoys understanding and using rules, but does not usually cope well with losing.
Importance of Solo play:
Provides the infants with a variety of learning opportunities, especially the chance to explore the environment at their own pace. It can help infants focus their attention , become self reliant, learn by mistakes and increase self-esteem.
Social benefits of friendships:
- Help cope with traumatic events
- Help maintain a healthy lifestyle
- Avoid loneliness
- Provide a sense of belonging and self worth
Social benefits of friendships:
- Help cope with traumatic events
- Help maintain a healthy lifestyle
- Avoid loneliness
- Provide a sense of belonging and self worth
- Boost in happiness and reduction of stress
Development of social relationships:
Infancy: Inbuilt tendency to interact with carers. By 2 months they smile at human faces. At 3 months they respond when adults talk. At 5 months infants can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar faces.
Childhood: Young people are emotionally attached and dependent on adults that care for them. They begin to learn social roles and behaviours within family context. Children will learn to cooperate with other children. And will begin to form friendships based on mutual trust.
Adolescence: Adolescents copy the styles and beliefs of their close friend. The social transition to full independence from the family.
Adulthood: Friendship networks continue to be very important. With most people forming partnerships and developing a career. Marriage and parenthood represent a major social development in life. Reduced social activity due to pressures of life.
Later Adulthood: Have more time to develop friendships through new hobbies. While others may choose to increase existing involvement with friends and family.
