Social Learning for the Preschool Child

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Social Learning for the Preschool Child

• learning to make contact and play with other
  children
• learning to interact with peers, give and take
• learning to get along with peers, interact in
  harmony
• learning to see things from another childs point
  of view

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Social Learning for the Preschool Child

• learning to take turns, wait for a turn
• learning to share with others
• learning to show respect for others rights
• learning to resolve interpersonal conflicts

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• Play is the primary mode for childrens social
  development. Play encourages social interaction.
  Children learn how to negotiate, resolve
  conflicts, solve problems, get along with each
  other, take turns, be patient, cooperate, and
  share. Play helps children understand concepts
  of fairness and competition.

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Partens Categories of Play

• unoccupied behavior
• onlooker behavior
• solitary independent play
• parallel activity
• associative play
• cooperative play

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Helping Children Develop Social Skills for Peer
Acceptance

• Arrange classroom for small-group activities
• Observe and record social skills
• Help children initiate contacts with others
• Help children gain access to ongoing play
• Help children maintain play roles
• Help children learn to resolve conflicts

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Spends Time Watching Others Play
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Plays by Self with Own Toys/Materials
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Plays Parallel to Others with Similar
Toys/Materials
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Plays with Others in Group Play
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Makes Friends with Other Children
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ECE Standards Debate

• Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
• Teacher-Directed Instruction
• Didactic Methods of Instruction

• Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)
• Child-Centered Learning
• Learning through doing processes

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Strategies to Gain Access to Ongoing Play

• Observing the group to see what is going on
• adopting the groups frame of reference as in
  parallel play
• contributing something relevant to the play
• asking again if they can play

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Maintaining a Role in Ongoing Play

• Carry on a conversation
• maintain eye contact when speaking
• listen to and watch other speakers
• adjust own conversation content in order to be
  understood

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Learning through Group Dramatic Play

• Adjusting their actions to the requirements of
  their role and the group
• being tolerant of others and their needs
• not always expecting to have their own way
• making appropriate responses to others
• helping others and receiving help from them

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Sequence of Pretend Play

• Age 2 - can pretend play with imaginary objects
• 2-4 years - complex group dramatic play with
  children who can articulate verbally
• 5 years - more complex dramatic play
• 6 years - group dramatic play declines
• 7 years - dramatic play disappears, games with
  rules more prominent

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Encouraging Dramatic Play in the Classroom

• Arrange class for small group activities
• Field trips/props
• Model play
• Puppets

• Change dramatic play area regularly
• Add accessories to block area
• Books

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Causes of Conflict

• Roles
• Direction of play
• Turns
• Toys

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Conflict Resolution Strategies

• ignoring
• distracting
• reasoning
• negotiating
• cooperating
• compromising

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Constructive Conflict Resolution

• Define problem
• Brainstorm possible solutions
• Use negotiation skills
• Choose solutions to satisfy both sides

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Helping Children Resolve Conflict

• observe and discuss play with you
• use puppets
• coach child on how to act
• do group role play
• books
• timers
• rhymes

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Prosocial/Moral Behavior

• Empathy
• Generosity
• Cooperation
• Caring

• Respect
• Responsibility
• Fairness
• Courage
• Honesty

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Empathy

• Shows concern for someone in distress
• Can tell how another feels

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Generosity

• Shares something with another
• Gives something to another

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Cooperation

• Takes turns without a fuss
• Complies with requests without a fuss

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Caregiving

• Helps another do a task
• Helps care for another in need

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Respect

• Uses please and thanks when making and receiving
  requests
• Treats others as would want to be treated

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Responsibility

• Corrects behavior when appropriate behavior is
  modeled
• Notices and redirects another child behaving
  inappropriately

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Fairness

• Takes turns, follows rules
• Listens to what others say

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Courage

• Does what is right even when the task is hard

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Honesty

• Tells truth
• Does what he/she says will do

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Focus on Prosocial Behaviors

• Value and emphasize consideration for others
  needs
• Model prosocial behaviors/Highlight in others
• Label and identify behaviors
• Attribute positive social behaviors to children
  themselves, people they know and historical
  figures

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Encourage understanding of feelings and
perspectives

• Acknowledge and encourage understanding and
  expression of childrens feelings
• Facilitate perspective and role-taking skills and
  understanding others feelings
• Emphasize consequences of behavior

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Encourage Problem Solving for Prosocial Behaviors

• Identify the problem
• Gather information
• List and consider options
• Consider advantages and disadvantages
• Choose and try a solution
• Decide if the solution worked

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Encourage Prosocial Behavior

• Use questions
• Show Pictures
• Use childrens literature

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Using Childrens Literature in Moral Education

• Story should have a well-defined dilemna
• Characters should model levels of reasoning and
  decision-making close to the reasoning level of
  children in class
• Story should be appropriate for follow-up
  activities and extensions
• Quality of story should be high powerful plot,
  lively characters, satisfying conclusions

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• Story should promote critical thinking skills
• Characters should promote a wide range of
  physical, social, emotional features and clear
  representations of good and evil

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Leading Moral Discussions

• What happened in the story?
• Why do you say that?
• What did you learn from this story?
• Should we forgive a character? Why?
• Why was a characters behavior unkind?
• What does this story remind you of in your own
  life? In what way?
• Do you agree with outcome? Why?

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Positive Discipline

• Protecting against media violence
• Alternatives to aggressive behaviors
• Choices
• Technology