With all of us being isolated, I know it has been challenging for everyone these past few months. Parents are doing their best teaching children and trying to provide everything. The one thing needed by children that parents can not provide is peer socialization. It is vital for children’s development.
Peer socialization happens when children are in school and work together on projects, play together, and eat together. They have a chance to learn new ideas from peers and try out new things. I have watched the children in my class work together as they build in the block center. They each add individual ideas to get to the goal they are working on.
Children Playing Together
As children play together at the sensory table or dramatic play area, they invent scenarios and can all plan their role. As children add suggestions and pretend, many skills develop. Organizational skills grow as children advance into the play. They plan what comes first, middle, and last. Children compromise as they encounter conflict as play progresses. They all have their own ideas as to what they want to happen so this is a good time to use language with their peers to get what they want.
When children eat snack and lunch together, they develop strong relationships. They either find out if they like someone and want to play with them or dislike them and not play. It is important for children to learn about their peers and decide which child they want to play with. Eating with friends also teaches diversity among them. Everyone does not eat the same foods and it is a valuable lesson for children to learn that everyone is not the same as they do not eat the same foods. Also, when children eat together, they tend to tell stories of what they do at home with their family. They can learn about each other and often the conversation becomes silly.
For some added advice from experts with helping children during isolation. I have included a news segment from TV station WXYZ in Detroit about a family who’s child I had in my class last school year. Don’t forget to slide the volume bar.
