Preschool may be a child’s first introduction to a community
of similarly aged peers. While different
preschools have their own philosophies with regards to education and learning
environments, one thing remains the same:
preschoolers need to learn how to socialize with others.
Socialization is one of the many developmental benefits to
be gained from a good preschool experience.
The key difference in the home and preschool socialization experiences
usually is the degree to which a child has the opportunity to interact with their
peers. At home, because of any number of
circumstances, a child may have little opportunity to play, learn, share, or
otherwise interact with other children of similar ages without their parents
being involved. In preschool, children
learn how to interact with each other using their own communication
skills. Building a child’s communication
skill is important for learning proper socialization.
A child needs to build their sense of confidence and self
esteem. This means, he or she needs to
feel good about themselves. Giving a
child praise for good choices or complimenting him or her on a project they
made helps a child build their confidence.
However, that is confidence and self esteem from parents or adults. Preschool socialization helps develop
confidence with peers.
Sharing and cooperation are two other important
socialization skills. A way to help
develop these skills is by playing games, singing songs or reading stories.
For your young child, play is important work. He or she grows, learns and investigates the
world through play. Curiosity plays a
key role in this exploration which also helps with developing socialization
skills.
Communication is a key part of socialization. Your child expressing themselves and representing
his ideas, feelings, and knowledge about the world is a key skill for your
child. When a situation or conflict
occurs, ask your child how he or she feels.
By talking it through you can help your child understand his or her
feelings.
When you incorporate any of the above mentioned ideas, you
are developing your child’s socialization.
The world is a big place where a child needs to learn how to communicate
and express their ideas independently.
Robin Hagy, Guest Blogger for Lehigh Valley Family Fun
