Article Summary Helping Children Play And Learn Together
Article Summary
Chelsea Miner
1/13/2015
Helping Children Play and Learn Together
During the early childhood years, children learn to interact with one another in ways that are positive and successful. Researchers stress the importance of positive peer relationships in childhood and later life. The absence of positive social interactions in childhood is linked to negative consequences later in life, such as withdrawal, loneliness, depression, and feelings of anxiety. In addition, low acceptance by peers in the early years is a predictor of grade retention, school dropout, and mental health and behavior problems. Educators can do many things to promote and support positive social interactions and prevent challenging behavior. The authors use a question-and-answer format to describe strategies that support the teaching pyramid's second and third levels (creating supportive environments and fostering positive social interactions), with the questions coming from many early childhood educators across the United States. Fox and colleagues (2003) describe a pyramid framework for supporting social competence and preventing young children's challenging behavior. This article highlights environmental and teaching strategies that support and facilitate the development of preschoolers' peer interaction skills--the skills children use to successfully interact with one another, such as sharing, taking turns, asking for assistance, and helping one another. The article focuses on the relevance of the physical environment and the teaching strategies to be able to facilitate the development on the peer interaction skills of preschoolers in the U.S. The physical environment has been viewed to affect the social, emotional development and learning of the child. Learning can be enhanced by using materials that promote social play and posters that demonstrates acceptance to diversity. Moreover, social skills of children can be developed by grouping shy children with outgoing peers.
Chelsea Miner
1/13/2015
Helping Children Play and Learn Together
During the early childhood years, children learn to interact with one another in ways that are positive and successful. Researchers stress the importance of positive peer relationships in childhood and later life. The absence of positive social interactions in childhood is linked to negative consequences later in life, such as withdrawal, loneliness, depression, and feelings of anxiety. In addition, low acceptance by peers in the early years is a predictor of grade retention, school dropout, and mental health and behavior problems. Educators can do many things to promote and support positive social interactions and prevent challenging behavior. The authors use a question-and-answer format to describe strategies that support the teaching pyramid's second and third levels (creating supportive environments and fostering positive social interactions), with the questions coming from many early childhood educators across the United States. Fox and colleagues (2003) describe a pyramid framework for supporting social competence and preventing young children's challenging behavior. This article highlights environmental and teaching strategies that support and facilitate the development of preschoolers' peer interaction skills--the skills children use to successfully interact with one another, such as sharing, taking turns, asking for assistance, and helping one another. The article focuses on the relevance of the physical environment and the teaching strategies to be able to facilitate the development on the peer interaction skills of preschoolers in the U.S. The physical environment has been viewed to affect the social, emotional development and learning of the child. Learning can be enhanced by using materials that promote social play and posters that demonstrates acceptance to diversity. Moreover, social skills of children can be developed by grouping shy children with outgoing peers.