Being
Social
When I need to gain perspective on our quickly changing world, I think of my
Uncle Harry’s response to my remark that with the advent of digital
watches many kids can’t read a clock face. He smirked, and asked if I
could read a sundial! So, when I look at the prevalence of electronic games
rather than board games, cyberspace social sites instead of neighborhood
get-togethers and micro-managed play dates instead of open play, I try not to
bemoan the past. However, I question if children are getting the opportunity to
develop the social skills they need to function as adults.
We often hear preschool and school are opportunities for socialization –
learning how they are “expected” to behave. Personally, I think it
is more about learning cause and effect. Friendships don’t only develop
because of shared interests or being told to act one certain way. In reality,
making and nurturing friendships requires a huge skill set.
- How to read physical signals
- How to express appropriate responses
- How to resolve problems
- How to project different scenarios or outcomes based on specific actions
- How to handle stressful situations
Children need to create and experiment with social models in a safe environment
to learn social skills. It is a mixture of trial and error, direction and
observation. KidsPark is a safe learning environment. Our teachers all have an
Early Childhood Education background, as well as in-house training to prepare
them to initiate, interact and intercede in children’s social situations.
Throughout the day at
KidsPark
we alternate between structured and unstructured activities. We certainly
encourage group participation, but we enable individual activities as well. In
this way, children experience many different social situations and learn how to
cope in each one. For instance, a child will learn to cope with some discomfort
if they need to wait their turn or share a toy. They will also develop
tolerance and patience. We have set snack and mealtime procedures where toys
are put away and all play stops so they learn to be part of a group and to
participate in conversation. We encourage problem solving by brainstorming
acceptable alternatives. We reward the process and the effort instead of just
the end result.
Are we successful? When you are picking up your child, how many times are you
asked to wait, so they can say good-bye to their new friend? How many times are
you asked to meet their new friend? You may describe KidsPark as a babysitting
service, hourly childcare, preschool, best thing since sliced bread (OK I threw
that 1 in). Ask a child and they would say it is fun. I say, it is just good,
solid playing in the neighborhood.
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