Social development for childhood: What Is Social and Emotional Development

Опубликовано: January 9, 2023 в 7:25 pm

Автор: alexxlab

Категории: Child

Know What To Expect! The 8 Stages Of Social Development In Children

This page presents an overview of the developmental tasks involved in the social and emotional development of children and teenagers which continues into adulthood. The presentation is based on the Eight Stages of Development developed by the psychiatrist, Erik Erikson in 1956.

According to Erikson, the socialization process consists of eight phases – the “eight stages of man.” His eight stages of man were formulated, not through experimental work, but through wide-ranging experience in psychotherapy, including extensive experience with children and adolescents from low – as well as upper – and middle – social classes. Each stage is regarded by Erikson as a “psychosocial crisis,” which arises and demands resolution before the next stage can be satisfactorily negotiated. These stages are conceived in an almost architectural sense: satisfactory learning and resolution of each crisis is necessary if the child is to manage the next and subsequent ones satisfactorily, just as the foundation of a house is essential to the first floor, which in turn must be structurally sound to support and the second story, and so on.

[CLICK HERE for more details on how to follow and encourage your child’s or teen’s social development]

Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development

1. Learning Basic Trust Versus Basic Mistrust (Hope)

Chronologically, this is the period of infancy through the first one or two years of life. The child, well – handled, nurtured, and loved, develops trust and security and a basic optimism. Badly handled, he becomes insecure and mistrustful.

2. Learning Autonomy Versus Shame (Will)

The second psychosocial crisis, Erikson believes, occurs during early childhood, probably between about 18 months or 2 years and 3½ to 4 years of age. The “well – parented” child emerges from this stage sure of himself, elated with his new found control, and proud rather than ashamed. Autonomy is not, however, entirely synonymous with assured self – possession, initiative, and independence but, at least for children in the early part of this psychosocial crisis, includes stormy self – will, tantrums, stubbornness, and negativism. For example, one sees may 2 year olds resolutely folding their arms to prevent their mothers from holding their hands as they cross the street. Also, the sound of “NO” rings through the house or the grocery store.

3. Learning Initiative Versus Guilt (Purpose)

Erikson believes that this third psychosocial crisis occurs during what he calls the “play age,” or the later preschool years (from about 3½ to, in the United States culture, entry into formal school). During it, the healthily developing child learns: (1) to imagine, to broaden his skills through active play of all sorts, including fantasy (2) to cooperate with others (3) to lead as well as to follow. Immobilized by guilt, he is: (1) fearful (2) hangs on the fringes of groups (3) continues to depend unduly on adults and (4) is restricted both in the development of play skills and in imagination.

4. Industry Versus Inferiority (Competence)

Erikson believes that the fourth psychosocial crisis is handled, for better or worse, during what he calls the “school age,” presumably up to and possibly including some of junior high school. Here the child learns to master the more formal skills of life: (1) relating with peers according to rules (2) progressing from free play to play that may be elaborately structured by rules and may demand formal teamwork, such as baseball and (3) mastering social studies, reading, arithmetic. Homework is a necessity, and the need for self-discipline increases yearly. The child who, because of his successive and successful resolutions of earlier psychosocial crisis, is trusting, autonomous, and full of initiative will learn easily enough to be industrious. However, the mistrusting child will doubt the future. The shame – and guilt-filled child will experience defeat and inferiority.

5. Learning Identity Versus Identity Diffusion (Fidelity)

During the fifth psychosocial crisis (adolescence, from about 13 or 14 to about 20) the child, now an adolescent, learns how to answer satisfactorily and happily the question of “Who am I?” But even the best – adjusted of adolescents experiences some role identity diffusion: most boys and probably most girls experiment with minor delinquency; rebellion flourishes; self – doubts flood the youngster, and so on.

Erikson believes that during successful early adolescence, mature time perspective is developed; the young person acquires self-certainty as opposed to self-consciousness and self-doubt. He comes to experiment with different – usually constructive – roles rather than adopting a “negative identity” (such as delinquency). He actually anticipates achievement, and achieves, rather than being “paralyzed” by feelings of inferiority or by an inadequate time perspective. In later adolescence, clear sexual identity – manhood or womanhood – is established. The adolescent seeks leadership (someone to inspire him), and gradually develops a set of ideals (socially congruent and desirable, in the case of the successful adolescent). Erikson believes that, in our culture, adolescence affords a “psychosocial moratorium,” particularly for middle – and upper-class American children. They do not yet have to “play for keeps,” but can experiment, trying various roles, and thus hopefully find the one most suitable for them.

6. Learning Intimacy Versus Isolation (Love)

The successful young adult, for the first time, can experience true intimacy – the sort of intimacy that makes possible good marriage or a genuine and enduring friendship.

7. Learning Generativity Versus Self-Absorption (Care)

In adulthood, the psychosocial crisis demands generativity, both in the sense of marriage and parenthood, and in the sense of working productively and creatively.

8. Integrity Versus Despair (Wisdom)

If the other seven psychosocial crisis have been successfully resolved, the mature adult develops the peak of adjustment; integrity. He trusts, he is independent and dares the new. He works hard, has found a well – defined role in life, and has developed a self-concept with which he is happy. He can be intimate without strain, guilt, regret, or lack of realism; and he is proud of what he creates – his children, his work, or his hobbies. If one or more of the earlier psychosocial crises have not been resolved, he may view himself and his life with disgust and despair.

These eight stages of man, or the psychosocial crises, are plausible and insightful descriptions of how personality develops but at present they are descriptions only. We possess at best rudimentary and tentative knowledge of just what sort of environment will result, for example, in traits of trust versus distrust, or clear personal identity versus diffusion. Helping the child through the various stages and the positive learning that should accompany them is a complex and difficult task, as any worried parent or teacher knows. Search for the best ways of accomplishing this task accounts for much of the research in the field of child development.

Socialization, then is a learning – teaching process that, when successful, results in the human organism’s moving from its infant state of helpless but total egocentricity to its ideal adult state of sensible conformity coupled with independent creativity.

9 Ways to Strengthen Social Development in Children

What is social development

Social development is the process a child learns to relate to others and interact with them. It allows the child to develop and maintain friendships as well as other relationships¹.

Healthy social development involves learning prosocial behavior, regulating emotions, and resolving conflicts. During this process, children gradually develop the skills they need to interact effectively with their environment.

It is through interacting with primary caregivers, family members, peers, and other adults that children become socialized and their personalities take on socially adaptive characteristics.

The importance of social development

Human beings are social animals. In society, developing prosocial behavior facilitates positive relationships and benefits others².

Social competence has been found to be strongly associated with a child’s academic achievement and learning skills³.

The ability of a child to get along with other children is also one of the best predictors of their adaptation and general well-being in adulthood.

Key adult outcomes including unemployment, criminal activity, substance use, and mental health are also strongly associated with poor social functioning in childhood⁴.

Therefore, being able to adapt socially impacts not only their own lives but also the lives of their families and society as a whole.

How does social development begin

Infants are born with only a sense of self. Social development begins when they connect their inner world with their outer one and learn about the existence of others. Through observing their own actions in relation to others, babies find connections with them.

Over time, they learn how to understand the thoughts, actions, feelings, and motives of others.

Therefore, interaction is at the core of social awareness. A child learns how to adapt socially through interpersonal interactions and makes inferences about the behavior of other people⁵.

Social development factors

There are several factors that can influence a child’s development in social interactions⁶.

Child temperament
Parenting style
Home environment
Social environments and friendship quality

How do children develop social skills

Two types of socialization influence a child’s social development strategy, according to psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan and psychologist Jean Piaget.

The first is a passive form of socialization in which children are taught by an adult or high-status peer preexisting social norms and how to conform to them. Children will move toward and adopt these rules for social integration.

As an example, if a child takes a toy from another child without asking, a close adult is likely to point out the violation of etiquette and ask the child to return it.

This type of socialization is immediately beneficial for children to adopt the teachings of adults to act and think in socially acceptable ways. The more they behave according to adults’ social expectations, the more they can accomplish through social interaction in a peer group.

Despite this, passive interactions limit the possibility of mutual understanding.

The second type of socialization is active participation and cooperative play, usually with a peer. The child and the peer are both able to express their meanings and listen to each other. In the process, the two parties look for mutual understanding in order to reach a compromise in a cooperative manner.

In this form of socialization, children try to take on different roles. They step out of their own perspective and try to adopt the other person’s point of view. This is more likely to occur in older children who have more advanced cognitive development⁷.

In peer relationships, children learn that behavior can be tested and defined mutually. As a result, social behaviors and interpersonal context gain new meaning.

How parents can facilitate social interactions

There are a number of ways parents can facilitate positive youth development.

Positive home experiences

Both early childhood experiences with parents and current experiences in healthy relationships are important to a developing child.

Sensitive parenting and positive family relationships are protective factors that are highly correlated with healthy social development in children.

Children develop a secure attachment and form a positive internal working model of others so that they will approach social situations with confidence⁸.

Teach social rules

Start teaching clear standards and social rules in the early years. Provide clear rules and expectations about behavior.

Explain the reasons for these rules and how their behaviors can affect others, just as the actions of others can affect them.

Praise desirable behavior for reinforcement. When you notice undesirable behavior, gently point it out. Show them the proper action and help them practice it.

Pay attention to nonverbal communication

Besides explicitly teaching prosocial behavior, teach young children how their tone of voice, voice volume, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact can also affect their social outcomes.

The importance of nonverbal communication cannot be overstated.

Deficiencies in decoding facial expressions and tone of voice are associated with lower relationship well-being and more depression in adults⁹.

Model prosocial behavior

Children learn best by observing and imitating the behavior of others around them. Through this process, they develop an understanding of how social behaviors are formed and can use this knowledge to guide their own actions and social skills.

Studies have shown that modeling or demonstrating desirable behaviors by adults helps to promote positive behavior in children¹⁰.

For example, children of parents who are polite and use “thank you” a lot are more likely to use these phrases with their friends, too.

Let them play

Encourage your child to make friends by providing ample opportunities for them to play with other children, especially in pretend play.

Children develop language skills, learn social rules, and form emotional ties through mutual and reciprocal interactions with peers¹¹.

Social relationships foster the development of social concepts such as cooperation, mutual respect, and interpersonal sensitivity.

Guide them in problem-solving

Developing cognitive problem-solving skills is essential for resolving social conflicts and gaining peer acceptance. To be successful, a child must have interpersonal sensitivity, consider others’ needs, and think means-ends instead of just ends.

When your child has a conflict with peers, rather than intervening and offering a solution as an authority, you can guide them to resolve the problem among themselves.

Show them how to see things from another’s perspective and find common ground. These are excellent opportunities to practice responding to difficult situations with your help¹².

Practice communication

Strong communication skills are vital in developing social competence.

Practicing social responses under your guidance benefits children’s language development as well¹³.

Help them make good friends

The quality of children’s friendships can have a significant impact on their success in the social world. The opinion of friends will become increasingly influential as your child grows.

Characteristics of a high-quality friendship include prosocial behavior, intimacy, as well as low levels of conflict, rivalry, and other negative qualities. Low-quality friendships can directly damage a child’s self-esteem, social adjustment, and future close relationships with others¹⁴.

Help them develop strong emotional functioning

A child’s emotional functioning is strongly associated with their social behavior. Behaving prosocially during distress requires low emotional reactivity and good emotion regulation¹⁵.

Providing sensitive care and emotional support is important. Regulating the parents’ own emotions to set a good example also plays a vital role.

For more on regulating emotions, check out this article: A Complete Guide to Emotional Regulation in Children

References

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Schaffer HR. Social Development. Blackwell Publishing; 1996.
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Fabes RA, Fabes G, Kupanoff K, Laible D. Faculty Publications, Department of Psychology; 1999:43.
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Hartup WW. Friendships and their developmental significance. In: Childhood Social Development: Contemporary Perspectives. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.; 1992:175–205.
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Jones DE, Greenberg M, Crowley M. Early Social-Emotional Functioning and Public Health: The Relationship Between Kindergarten Social Competence and Future Wellness. Am J Public Health. Published online November 2015:2283-2290. doi:10.2105/ajph.2015.302630
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Youniss J. Parents and Peers in Social Development: A Sullivan-Piaget Perspective. University of Chicago Press; 1982.
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Jaffari-Bimmel N, Juffer F, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Mooijaart A. Social development from infancy to adolescence: Longitudinal and concurrent factors in an adoption sample. Developmental Psychology. Published online 2006:1143-1153. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.6.1143
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Selman RL, Beardslee W, Schultz LH, Krupa M, Podorefsky D. Assessing adolescent interpersonal negotiation strategies: Toward the integration of structural and functional models. Developmental Psychology. Published online July 1986:450-459. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.22.4.450
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van der Voort A, Juffer F, J. Bakermans-Kranenburg M. Sensitive parenting is the foundation for secure attachment relationships and positive social-emotional development of children. Barlow J, ed. Journal of Children’s Services. Published online June 10, 2014:165-176. doi:10.1108/jcs-12-2013-0038
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Carton JS, Kessler EA, Pape CL. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. Published online 1999:91-100. doi:10.1023/a:1021339410262
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Bandura A. Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review. Published online 1977:191-215. doi:10.1037/0033-295x.84.2.191
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Griffiths M. Friendship and social development in children and adolescents: The impact of electronic technology. Educational and Child psychology. 1997;14:25-37.
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Battistich V, Solomon D, Watson M, Solomon J, Schaps E. Effects of an elementary school program to enhance prosocial behavior on children’s cognitive-social problem-solving skills and strategies. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. Published online April 1989:147-169. doi:10.1016/0193-3973(89)90002-6
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Landa RJ. Assessment of social communication skills in preschoolers. Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev. Published online August 2005:247-252. doi:10.1002/mrdd.20079
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Berndt TJ. Friendship Quality and Social Development. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. Published online February 2002:7-10. doi:10.1111/1467-8721.00157
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Calkins SD, Gill KL, Johnson MC, Smith CL. Emotional Reactivity and Emotional Regulation Strategies as Predictors of Social Behavior with Peers During Toddlerhood. Social Development. Published online December 25, 2001:310-334. doi:10.1111/1467-9507.00098

Social Development in 0-2 Year Olds | Scholastic

Babies are born social creatures. From their earliest days, they begin to connect to and collect information from their caregivers. In fact, even newborns are capable of imitating facial expressions, demonstrating an understanding of how another’s actions relate to their own. Within weeks, they are cooing and intentionally smiling, responding in rhythm to their caregiver’s communications. By the end of the first three months, most families feel they “know” their infant, and that they have meaningful 2-way communication that includes game playing (e.g., peek-a-boo; for some ideas, see this site with games). Until approximately your baby’s first birthday, he and his primary caretaker are often immersed in an intimate dyad of love and learning.

This intimate dyad is part of what researcher Erik Erikson calls the stage of Basic Trust vs. Mistrust. From 0-2, children are engaged in relationships, trying to develop a sense of being nurtured and loved. They seek a relationship that engenders trust, security, and a sense of optimism. If they succeed, they will have mastered the basic psychosocial goals of this age and will advance in development with a strong and secure sense of the world and their place within it. For it is only from a place of secure attachment that a baby is safe enough to explore the larger world around her.

Around 9-12 months, babies become more interested in exploration. This drive often coincides with their learning to crawl and/or walk, which leads to new adventures further away from nurturing caretakers. They begin to point to objects, an important developmental milestone that demonstrates their ability to establish a shared focus with another. Pointing thus allows interactions to expand to include objects and actions, enlarging babies’ ability to learn through more complex interactions.

Between 9 and 18 months, babies develop a more sophisticated understanding not only of other people and things, but also themselves. For example, if you secretly put a spot on a 15-month-old baby’s nose and put them in front of the mirror, they don’t behave any differently. Do the same to an 18 month old and they stare at the dot and then try and remove it from their face. Thus, it is not until around 18 months that a baby recognizes the image in the mirror is actually himself, and not just a different playful toddler.

Nine to eighteen months is also the time when stranger anxiety begins, where babies hang back with less well-known adults. They will also show displeasure (at least initially) when their primary caretakers leave the room or put them in the care of another. According to British psychologist John Bowlby, this attachment serves a useful function. That is, it allows a sort of equilibrium between a baby’s increasing need to venture out and explore, and his need for a secure base to protect and guide him. The sense of security that a primary caregiver provides can then be carried with a child when she explores, allowing her to continue to meet the additional developmental drive for exploration and discovery. The ongoing development of this secure base allows babies to “graduate” from Erikson’s Trust vs Mistrust stage.

Around the age of two, children will enter what Erikson called the stage of Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt. It is during this stage that we see the full appearance of a child’s will. Parents’ patience with and ability to successfully respond to a child’s will affects the outcome of this stage. It is during this stage that children develop their first interests, and an increased desire for autonomy. With encouragement, children explore and expand on these interests and drives. They develop self-sufficient behavior (e.g., begin to dress themselves, feed themselves, etc.), and a sense of autonomy. With punishment, punitive responses, or demands that are beyond the child’s capabilities, they retreat into shame and doubt.

Between the ages of 2 and 3, children begin to push the limits to determine what a parent’s boundaries are. Your child may begin to say no, have temper tantrums, become “stubborn,” or more negative. She is testing to see if you will still love her, no matter what. She is verifying the lengths you will go to to keep her safe.

Knowing the developmental function of these challenging behaviors, it is helpful to maintain consistent limits, enforce reliable boundaries, and offer your child as many choices as possible (e.g., peas or carrots for snack; letting her choose her red skirt or blue pants, etc.). To do this effectively, limit the choices to two and offer a time frame for response before you decide for her (e.g., “Decide which jacket you will wear while I tie your shoes”). Follow through. Even if your child changes his mind, take his decision as final and act accordingly.

Not all of the shift to autonomy is negative. As children assert themselves, they begin to recognize themselves as separate from but still similar to others. This allows them to develop and demonstrate empathy, which makes its debut at around 2-years-old. You can foster this development by giving your child (boy or girl) the words for emotions that you or others (e.g., a favorite book character, playgroup pals) are feeling.

Even very young children can develop and apply relatively complex understandings of people and emotions. For instance, by the time they turn three, they are quite good at reading facial expressions. Most children this age can articulate how another will feel if they don’t get a coveted toy (disappointed) or if they are left alone (scared).

Foster your child’s understanding of basic emotions by talking to them about how people cry or frown when they are sad, how they smile and laugh when they are happy, how their eyes get big and they tend to withdraw when they are scared, etc. Don’t forget to use words like frustrated or worried, to allow them to begin to understand more subtle emotions as well. By providing a cluster of clues in this way, you support your child’s developing understanding of this relatively complex topic.

The goal at the end of infancy is for your child to have a secure base, a strong and nurturing primary relationship, and a spirited drive to explore and experiment. From here they will begin to seek out experiences and others to expand their world and enlarge their sphere of influence. Given how seemingly helpless your child was when she entered the world, by the time she turns three, she’s come a long way, baby!

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?

Regulate the area of interpersonal relationships: the child easily makes new friends, finds like-minded people.
Minimize psychological stress: children with developed social skills quickly adapt, do not feel sad due to changes in external circumstances.
They form an adequate self-esteem from childhood, which positively affects life achievements and development in adulthood.
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.

Friends, interesting interlocutors: the kid does not know how to join the team, he prefers to sit in the corner while the others play.
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).
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.
Does not know the measure in expressing a point of view: too passive or, conversely, aggressive.
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. Self-confidence

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 express themselves in teamwork, through situational games

learn more

Social development of a preschool child | Article:

Social development of the preschool child

The development of social competence is an important and necessary stage of the child’s socialization in the general process of assimilating the experience of social life and social relations. Man by nature is a social being. All the facts describing cases of forced isolation of small children, the so-called “Mowglis”, show that such children never become full-fledged people: they cannot master human speech, elementary forms of communication, behavior and die early.

Social and pedagogical activity in the conditions of a preschool educational institution is that work that includes pedagogical and psychological activities aimed at helping the child, teacher and parent in developing their own individuality, organizing themselves, their psychological state; assistance in solving emerging problems and overcoming them in communication; as well as help in becoming a small person in society.

The very word “society” comes from the Latin “societas”, meaning “comrade”, “friend”, “buddy”. From the very first days of life, a child is a social being, since any of his needs cannot be satisfied without the help and participation of another person.

Social experience is acquired by a child in communication and depends on the variety of social relations that are provided to him by his immediate environment. A developing environment without an active position of an adult, aimed at broadcasting cultural forms of relationships in human society, does not carry social experience. Assimilation by a child of the universal human experience accumulated by previous generations occurs only in joint activities and communication with other people. This is how a child acquires speech, new knowledge and skills; his own beliefs, spiritual values and needs are formed, his character is laid.

All adults who communicate with the child and influence his social development can be divided into four levels of proximity, characterized by various combinations of three factors:

frequency of contact with the child;
emotional richness of contacts;
informative.

Parents are at the first level – all three indicators have the maximum value.

The second level is occupied by preschool teachers – the maximum value of information content, emotional richness.

Third level – adults who have situational contacts with the child, or those whom children can observe on the street, in the clinic, in transport, etc.

Fourth level – people whom the child may know about, but whom he will never meet: residents of other cities, countries, etc.

The immediate environment of the child – the first and second levels of proximity – due to the emotional saturation of contacts with the child, not only influence his development, but also change themselves under the influence of these relationships. For the success of the social development of the child, it is necessary that his communication with the closest adult environment be dialogic and free from directives. However, even direct communication between people is actually a complex and multifaceted process. In it, communicative interaction is carried out, information is exchanged. The main means of human communication are speech, gestures, facial expressions, pantomime. Even before speaking, the child accurately responds to the smile, tone and intonation of the voice. Communication involves people understanding each other. But young children are self-centered. They believe that others think, feel, see the situation in the same way as they do, so it is difficult for them to enter into the position of another person, to put themselves in his place. It is the lack of understanding between people that most often causes conflicts. This explains the so frequent quarrels, disputes and even fights between children. Social competence is achieved through productive communication of the child with adults and peers. For most children, this level of development of communication can only be achieved in the educational process.

Basic principles of organizing the process of social education

individual assistance in the elimination of conflict and critical situations in the social interaction of the individual, the value formation of his life relationships;
education in a person of abilities and needs to discover and create himself in the main forms of human activity;
development of the ability to know oneself in unity with the world, in dialogue with it;
development of the ability of self-determination, self-actualization on the basis of reproduction, development, appropriation of the cultural experience of self-development of mankind;
the formation of the need and ability to communicate with the world on the basis of humanistic values and ideals, the rights of a free person.

Current trends in the development of the education system in Russia are connected with the implementation of the request for the optimal renewal of its content and methods in accordance with the progress of society, science, and culture. The public order for the development of the education system is predetermined by its main goal – preparing the younger generation for active creative life in the world community, capable of solving the global problems of mankind.

The current state of science and practice of preschool education indicates the presence of a huge potential in the development and implementation of programs and technologies for the social development of preschoolers. This direction is reflected in the requirements of the state educational standard, included in the content of federal and regional comprehensive and partial programs (“Childhood”, “I am a person”, “Kindergarten is a house of joy”, “Origins”, “Rainbow”, “I, you , we”, “Introducing children to the origins of Russian folk culture”, “Eternal values of the small Motherland”, “Development of children’s ideas about history and culture”, “Community”, etc. ).

The analysis of existing programs makes it possible to judge the possibility of implementing certain areas of social development of preschoolers.

Social development is a process during which a child learns the values, traditions of his people, the culture of the society in which he will live. This experience is represented in the personality structure by a unique combination of four components that are closely interdependent:

Cultural skills – are a set of specific skills that society imposes on a person in various situations as mandatory. For example: the skill of ordinal counting to ten before entering school.
Specific knowledge – ideas received by a person in the individual experience of mastering the surrounding world and bearing the imprints of his interaction with reality in the form of individual preferences, interests, value systems. Their distinctive feature is the close semantic and emotional relationship between them. Their combination forms an individual picture of the world.
Role behavior – behavior in a specific situation, due to the natural and socio-cultural environment. It reflects a person’s acquaintance with norms, customs, rules, regulates his behavior in certain situations, is determined by his social competence. Even in preschool childhood, a child already has many roles: he is a son or daughter, a kindergarten pupil, someone’s friend. It is not for nothing that a small child behaves differently at home than in kindergarten, and communicates with friends differently than with unfamiliar adults. Each social role has its own rules, which can change and are different for each subculture, the system of values, norms, and traditions adopted in this society. But if an adult freely and consciously accepts this or that role, understands the possible consequences of his actions and realizes responsibility for the results of his behavior, then the child has only to learn this.
Social qualities that can be combined into five complex characteristics: cooperation and concern for others, rivalry and initiative, autonomy and independence, social adaptability, openness and social flexibility.

All components of social development are closely interconnected. Therefore, changes in one of them inevitably entail changes in the other three components.

For example: a child has been accepted into games by peers who previously rejected him. His social qualities immediately changed – he became less aggressive, more attentive and open to communication. His horizons expanded with new ideas about human relations and himself: I am also good, it turns out that children love me, children are not evil either, it’s fun to spend time with them, etc. His cultural skills will inevitably be enriched after a while with new methods of communicating with objects of the world around him. , because he will be able to observe and try these tricks with playmates. Previously, this was impossible, the experience of others was rejected, because the children themselves were rejected, the attitude towards them was unconstructive.

All deviations in the social development of a child of preschool age are the result of the wrong behavior of the surrounding adults. They simply do not understand that their behavior creates situations in the child’s life that he cannot cope with, so his behavior begins to take on an antisocial character.

The process of social development is a complex phenomenon, in the course of which the child appropriates the objectively given norms of human society and constantly discovers, asserts himself as a social subject.

The content of social development is determined, on the one hand, by the totality of social influences of the world level of culture, universal values, on the other hand, by the attitude of the individual himself, the actualization of his own “I”, the disclosure of the creative potentials of the individual.

How to contribute to the social development of a preschooler? We can offer the following tactics of interaction between the educator and children in order to form socially acceptable forms of behavior and assimilate the moral norms of society:

discuss more often the consequences of the actions of a child or an adult on the feelings of another person;
emphasize similarities between different people;
offer children games and situations in which cooperation and mutual assistance are needed;
involve children in the discussion of interpersonal conflicts that arise on moral grounds;
consistently ignore negative behavior, pay attention to a child who behaves well;
do not repeat endlessly the same demands, prohibitions and punishments;
clearly state the rules of conduct. Explain why you should do this and not otherwise.

The social experience to which the child joins from the first years of his life accumulates and manifests itself in social culture. The assimilation of cultural values, their transformation, contributing to the social process, is one of the fundamental tasks of education.

With regard to the content of preschool education in the aspect of social development, we can talk about the following sections of culture and the directions of the organization of the pedagogical process corresponding to them: the culture of communication included in the content of moral education; psychosexual culture, the content of which is reflected in the section on sex education; national culture, implemented in the process of patriotic education and religious education; ethnic culture included in the content of international education; legal culture, the content of which is presented in the section on the foundations of legal consciousness. This approach, perhaps, somewhat limits the content of social development, excluding the sections of ecological, mental, labor, valeological, aesthetic, physical, and economic education.

However, the process of social development involves the implementation of an integrated approach, the legitimacy of the conditional allocation of these sections from a holistic pedagogical process is confirmed by one of the essential grounds associated with the social identification of a child at preschool age: species (child – person), generic (child – family member), sexual (a child is a carrier of sexual essence), national (a child is a carrier of national characteristics), ethnic (a child is a representative of the people), legal (a child is a representative of the rule of law).

The social development of the individual is carried out in activity. In it, a growing person goes from self-distinction, self-perception through self-affirmation to self-determination, socially responsible behavior and self-realization.

Due to the specifics of the development of mental processes and functions, the identification of a preschooler is possible at the level of empathic experience that arises in the course of identifying oneself with other people.

The effectiveness of social development as a result of socialization-individualization is due to the action of various factors. In the aspect of pedagogical research, the most important of them is education, the purpose of which is familiarization with culture, its reproduction, appropriation and creation. Modern studies of the child’s personal development (in particular, the group of authors for the development of the basic program “Origins”) make it possible to supplement, concretize the indicated list and classify a number of basic personality characteristics as universal human abilities, the formation of which is feasible in the process of social development: competence, creativity, initiative, arbitrariness, independence, responsibility, security, freedom of behavior, self-awareness of the individual, the ability to self-esteem.

the content of the social development of preschoolers is determined by various bases of social identification that dominate at a particular age: younger preschool age — species and generic identification; medium – species, generic, gender identification; senior – specific, generic, gender, national, ethnic, legal identification;

Of great importance in the process of assimilation of culture and in the formation of universal social abilities is the mechanism of imitation as one of the ways of penetrating into the semantic structures of human activity. Initially, imitating the people around him, the child masters the generally accepted ways of behavior, regardless of the characteristics of the communicative situation. Interaction with other people is not differentiated by species, generic, gender, national characteristics.

With the actualization of intellectual activity, the enrichment of the semantic social spectrum of interaction, there is an awareness of the value of each rule, norm; their use becomes associated with a specific situation. Actions previously mastered at the level of mechanical imitation acquire a new, socially filled meaning. Awareness of the value of socially oriented actions means the emergence of a new mechanism of social development – normative regulation, the influence of which in preschool age is inestimable.

The implementation of the tasks of social development of preschool children is most effective in the presence of a holistic pedagogical system, built in accordance with the main approaches of the general scientific level of pedagogy methodology.

The axiological approach allows to determine the set of priority values in education, upbringing and self-development of a person. In relation to the social development of preschool children, the values of communicative, psychosexual, national, ethnic, legal culture can act as such.

The culturological approach allows taking into account all the conditions of the place and time in which a person was born and lives, the specifics of his immediate environment and the historical past of his country, city, the main value orientations of representatives of his people, ethnic group. The dialogue of cultures, which is one of the dominant paradigms of the modern education system, is impossible without familiarization with the values of one’s own culture.
The humanistic approach involves the recognition of the personality in the child, orientation to his subjective needs and interests, recognition of his rights and freedoms, the intrinsic value of childhood as the basis of mental development, the cultural-creative function of childhood as one of the most important aspects of social development, psychological comfort and the good of the child as priority criteria in assessing the activities of social institutions.
Anthropological approach allows to raise the status of psychological and pedagogical diagnostics in determining the dynamics of social development of preschoolers, to take into account various (age, gender, national) features of personal development in the process of moral, sexual, patriotic, international, legal education.
The synergetic approach allows us to consider each subject of the pedagogical process (children, educators, parents) as self-developing subsystems that make the transition from development to self-development. In the aspect of the social development of children, this approach provides, for example, a gradual change in the general orientations of the teacher in the formation of the main types of activity (from perception – to reproduction according to the model – to independent reproduction – to creativity).
The polysubject approach implies the need to take into account the influence of all factors of social development (microfactors: family, peers, kindergarten, school, etc. ; mesofactors: ethno-cultural conditions, climate; macrofactors: society, state, planet, space).
The system-structural approach involves the organization of work on the social development of preschoolers in accordance with a holistic pedagogical system of interrelated and interdependent goals, objectives, content, means, methods, forms of organization, conditions and results of interaction between teachers and children.
An integrated approach involves the interconnection of all structural components of the pedagogical system in relation to all links and participants in the pedagogical process. The content of social development includes the orientation of the child in the phenomena of social and personal life, in himself.

The activity approach makes it possible to determine the dominance of the child’s relationship with the outside world, to actualize the realization of the needs in understanding oneself as a subject of activity. Social development is carried out in the process of significant, motivated activities, a special place among which is occupied by the game, as an intrinsically valuable activity that provides a sense of freedom, subordination of things, actions, relationships, allowing you to fully realize yourself “here and now”, achieve a state of emotional comfort, become involved in a children’s society built on the free communication of equals.
The environmental approach allows solving the problem of organizing the educational space as a means of social development of the individual. The environment is a set of niches and elements, among which and in interaction with which the life of children takes place (Yu.S. Manuilov). A niche is a specific space of opportunity that allows children to satisfy their needs. Conventionally, they can be divided into natural, social, cultural. In relation to the tasks of social development, the organization of the educational space requires the creation of a subject-developing environment that ensures the most effective familiarization of children with the standards of culture (universal, traditional, regional). The element is an unrestrained force acting in the natural and social environment in the form of various social movements, manifested in moods, needs, attitudes. With regard to the plan of social development, the elements will be found in the interaction of children and adults, in the dominant value orientations, the hierarchy of goals in relation to the ranking of educational tasks.

The social situation of development in early childhood (1-3 years) and the leading activity

The age period from 1 to 3 years is called early childhood. This stage is characterized by personal changes, changes in the sphere of cognition, in the social situation of development. Relations between a child and an adult are changing, this leads to the formation of a new social situation of development.

The social situation of development

It is characterized by the appearance of a joint objective activity of a child and an adult. In the process of this type of activity, the child appropriates the socially developed ways of using objects. An adult shows the baby how to use the surrounding objects, while explaining why the object is needed.

Objective activity

The scheme of the social situation can be drawn up as follows: “child – OBJECT – adult”. The most important in this triad is the subject. This can be verified by observing a child engaged in some kind of subject. He constantly looks at him. The degree of concentration is still small, but it reaches maximum concentration, and the child’s attention is focused only on the object of interest. But without an adult, the child is not able to use the object for its intended purpose. An adult is an obligatory partner of objective activity, a role model and a source of emotional stimulation. The child must be praised for his successes and achievements. The joint action of a child and an adult is mediated by an object, hence a new form of communication appears, a situational business one. In practice, the adult cooperates with the child regarding actions with objects. This activity has a motive, it is the subject itself and its study. Communication lies in the fact that objective activity is organized. An adult explains, shows: how to do it right, why you need it, when to do it. During this period, communication is very active and intense, and most importantly, verbal.

Note 1

As a way of teaching a baby, there is a “reversed display” – a presentation with an object involving the child in action.

By the second year of life, the child has received almost all the information about objects in the home environment, and he understands that each object is needed for something. There is a need to find out the functions of a new object. There is no guarantee at all that the child will use the item for its intended purpose, but he will know when and where to do it correctly. For example, a toddler can construct something with pencils, knowing that they are needed for drawing and writing. This is called object-manipulative play. At first, the action and the subject are closely related, but then there is a separation of the subject and the action. There are three main phases of the connection between the object and the action:

any actions are performed with the object;
use of the object only for its intended purpose;
free use of the subject with knowledge of the true purpose.

Development of objective activity

DB Elkonin singled out two directions for the development of objective activity:

From joint action with an adult to independent implementation. This path was explored by I.A. Sokolyansky and A.I. Meshcheryakov, who showed that at first orientation, execution and evaluation belong to an adult. Then a partial joint action is performed. And only then, the child performs the action independently on the basis of a demonstration, a verbal indication.
In carrying out an action, the means and methods of orienting the child develop. This development goes through several stages. At the first stage, the tools are used non-specifically (object manipulation). The item can also be used in unformed ways of using it. For example, a child knows what a mug is for, but substitutes it with the bottom up. At the first stage, mastering the methods of use occurs. The second stage is characterized by the fact that the child transfers actions from one object to another. For example, understanding how and when to put on shoes, the child tries to put on the ball when he is going to walk with it. At the third stage, there is a game action. Here, an adult does not tell you how to play and what to do.