New home learning parents often struggle with the question, “But what about your child’s social skills?” Give this question a little thought, and you’ll realize that any child who lives in a family will learn appropriate social skills. Socializing is something that happens in a family context as well as a school context. If the family happens to have other children, this will be even easier: having siblings tends to introduce the need for cooperation, taking turns, and playing together!
If you’re concerned about your young child’s social development, here are a few of the social activities that he or she would learn in a classroom setting. You can do the same at home, of course!
Cooperative activities are something that children adapt to gradually, beginning in late preschool. Younger preschoolers often engage in parallel play, playing beside each other rather than cooperating with each other in imaginary play. This is completely normal. As they get older, young children will begin to work together. In school or in the home, activities to facilitate cooperation among young children include baking, animal care, planting and growing a garden, and large projects like digging a hole or making a big freestyle art project together.
Children will also learn about taking turns. In a play-based childcare setting, teachers use activity stations to gently introduce the idea of delayed gratification. There are enough materials for all the children, but the children must choose which station to go to first and they need to wait until a spot is free. Station themes might include arts and crafts, planting a seed or investigating an animal, and science experiments. In a family, at a party, or at a parent and child get together for home learners, you can do the same thing.
Were you worried about your child’s social skills when you first began home learning?
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