The Importance of Social Interaction for Young Children
While we as adults know how important our social time is, many of us don't realize how vital it is for our children for all aspects of their development.
Interactions with other children and adults helps children learn and grow in a variety of ways, including language development, social awareness, emotional intelligence, self-esteem and creativity. Right from infancy, social interactions are key for development.
Of course, being in childcare is a perfect opportunity for children to be exposed to, and navigate, a wide variety of social situations, however, there are lots of other ways that children can be given this exposure. At home with parents, caregivers and siblings, at family gatherings, at play dates with other children or even just at the local park, children will naturally have to negotiate these situations with other children, by waiting their turn, sharing, communicating and cooperating. And all of this exposure is great for their developing minds and bodies, teaching them teamwork, how to understand social cues as well as helping them build friendships.
Adults can help children handle positive and negative social situations while instilling learning for future encounters. Remaining close by, try to let children work things out for themselves at first if a conflict begins. If things start to take a turn, that is an opportunity to step in, get down to the level of the children and help them to use their words to communicate their needs and work through the situation together.
While social interactions are incredibly important, every child is different and some will require more face-to-face time than others. Let children be the guide and allow them space to be on their own as well. Just like some adults recharge this way, many children also need this mental and physical break in the action to process things as well.
By exposing your child to a variety of situations, both at home and out in public, you will naturally help them to develop their skills with others, setting them up for future social success.
