Keyword: Peer Relationships
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Meetups for Preschoolers: Have a Great Playdate!
My children grew up on a block full of kids. Occasionally, they had playdates with school friends, but usually they could step outdoors and find age-mates who were ready to play. Many parents now tell me it’s gotten much harder to get their preschoolers together with friends outside of school. That’s why playdates have become…
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Supporting Young Children’s Friendships
This toolkit includes information on the development of skills needed to develop friendships, strategies adults can use to support young children at home and in the classroom, and tips to help children reconnect after a long separation.
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The Blue Bowl
In this video, we see a large blue mixing bowl spark children’s interest and lead to this type of complex play. The children work together in a group to reach a common goal of making “soup” in a bowl. They explore the outdoors and find several materials to put in the blue bowl for their…
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Are You Being a Monkey?
In this video, we see the beginning stages of a friendship connection as we watch 3-year-old Aaron try to engage his peer, John, age 5. Children begin by observing each other and playing side by side. In time, friendships become more complex. Younger children are often very interested in the activities of older children.
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How Teachers Can Help When a Child Says, “Mommy, I Don’t Want to Go to Preschool!”
While there are many reasons a child may not want to come to school, there are a few things teachers can do to support children during this difficult time. Things that help build a sense of belonging may increase the child’s willingness to come to school. These include providing positive interactions, creating equal opportunities to…
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Supporting Young Children’s Friendships: An Interview with Dr. Michaelene Ostrosky
This podcast contains an interview with Dr. Michaelene (Micki) Ostrosky about supporting young children’s friendships. Dr. Ostrosky is the head of the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In this interview, Dr. Ostrosky and IEL staff member Dr. Rebecca Swartz discuss why friendships are important to young children as well as…
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Helping the Shy Ones
Anyone working with young children will surely have some experience trying to help some shy ones. The phenomenon of shyness is observed in many young children in all cultures and at all income levels.
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Helping Young Children Develop Friendships
This list contains a variety of resources associated with helping young children develop friendships.
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Supporting Children’s Social Development: Strategies for Parents and Caregivers
This list contains a variety of resources associated with strategies for parents and caregivers for supporting a child’s social development.
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Helping Young Children Resolve Conflicts
This list contains a variety of resources associated with helping young children resolve conflicts.
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Supporting Children with Autism in Child Care and at Home
This resource list contains a variety of resources associated with supporting children with autism in childcare and at home.
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Two Trains
Sadie (26 months) pulls two trains across the carpet and sits down on the teacher’s lap. Sadie and the teacher are talking about the two trains while Daniel watches. Daniel reaches down to take the handle of one of the trains, to which Sadie objects. The teacher then asks Sadie to give one of her…
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A Tower Together
The teachers provided balance in both supporting Anna and allowing her space to work through situations independently. She followed Anna’s reactions and did not intervene too early.
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Tea Party
Through a progression of short clips taken over a span of 30 minutes, this video focuses on Hudson (at 30 months, the oldest in the class) gathering items, stuffed animals, and dolls; arranging them on a couch; and (briefly) enjoying his tea party with his stuffed animals.
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The Duck
This clip demonstrates a young toddler’s ability to connect a picture on a toy with a word and a sign she had been taught.
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Filling the Trains
This video takes place in a toddler room of a university laboratory child care and preschool. Daniel (25 months) and Sadie (26 months) are playing with trains and putting people back into their trains. The teacher is nearby talking with them, narrates their activities, and helps Sadie to see that she needs to put the…
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Down There
The video takes place in a toddler room of a university laboratory child care and preschool. Max (19 months) and Levi (27 months) are in the glider chair looking at a nursery rhyme book together. They are engaged in the books for a short while and then begin to rock the chair together. The nearby…
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Blue or Purple
This is a nice example of the caregiver reading the cues of the child and assisting them through an interaction that had the potential for conflict.
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All Done
This video takes place in a toddler room of a university laboratory child care and preschool. Daniel (25 months) and Mia (23 months) are standing at the Lego table. A teacher is helping Mia ask Daniel to share the blanket he is using when he is done. The teacher provides her with words to use,…
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A Big Tower
The video takes place in a toddler room of a university laboratory child care and preschool. Anna (28 months) is building a tower alone with large interlocking blocks. Kenyon (26 months) runs in and knocks over her new tower. Anna takes it in stride, and Kenyon helps her rebuild. He promptly knocks over their new…
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Learning to Get Along with Friends
As children grow into their preschool years, they often want to play with a friend, whether through a play date at home or with a friend at child care/preschool.
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Two on a Trike
Prompting young children with words to use to solve social problems is an effective teaching tool.
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Tattoos and Teakettles: “Housekeeping” Conversations
In this video, three preschool girls interact with each other and their teacher in the dramatic play area during choice time.
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Explaining Cradle Construction
Children in Judy Cagle’s mixed-age prekindergarten class decided to make a crib as part of a project on babies.
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Drawing a Friend
The children have access to accessories and materials that they can use to create their writing projects. These include staplers, tape, many kinds of paper, envelopes, recycled cards, and stickers.
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Counting Crackers
Children in this mixed-age early childhood center are taking part in open snack.
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Constructing a Cradle
Several families of children in Judy Cagle’s mixed-age prekindergarten class were expecting babies. In response to this new interest, Mrs. Cagle took them to visit the maternity ward at a nearby hospital.
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Bullying Hurts Everyone
Children have the right to feel safe—and adults have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for them.
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Work and Play Together
Here are some ways you can help your child learn to get along with others.
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Encouraging Child-to-Child Conversation
Group meetings are good times to encourage children to talk directly to each other about what matters to them.
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Manners and Preschoolers
Try encouraging good manners! Using good manners is a way to show respect for the feelings of others and to make personal interactions pleasant.
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Creating a Sense of Belonging in Preschool
Families and teachers want their children to feel welcome at preschool, to be accepted by their friends, and to feel secure in their daily routines.
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Answering Questions About Your Child’s Special Needs
During the summer, families tend to spend more time out in their communities and traveling to interesting places with their children.
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Kids Who Care
“Feeling the feelings of others,” or empathy, is an important part of children’s social and emotional development.
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Cooperation Across the Preschool Curriculum: Science
Cooperation means doing things together to reach a common goal. Each person’s needs are respected, and each person contributes to the group’s success in reaching its goal.
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Who’s the Leader?
Good leaders “take charge” to help people work together on tasks that they couldn’t do alone.
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Cooperation in the Preschool Classroom: Class Discussions
Class discussions can teach children respect for others, communication skills, how to interact with peers and adults, and how to vote.
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Some Benefits of Multiage Grouping
Even though it’s not natural for young children to spend large proportions of time in same-age “litters,” we seem to insist that they be cared for as well as educated in them!
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Take a Bold Approach to Shyness
A tendency toward shyness can run in families.
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Making and Keeping Friends
Knowing how to make and keep friends is an important skill for young children to learn.