Social Devlolment

• Infancy 0-2 years:

  • Infants have an in-built tendency to interact with carers
  • By 2 months, they may start to smile at human faces
  • At 3 months, they respond when adults talk
  • At 5 months, infants can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people
  • Infants form emotional attachments to carers
  • In later stages, infants play alongside other children (parallel play)
• Childhood 3-8 years:

  • Young children are emotionally attached and dependent on adults
  • Learn social roles and behaviour within the family context (first socialisation)
  • Family environment provides a 'safe base' for exploring social relationships through play
  • Learn to cooperate with other children (co-operative play)
  • Begin to form friendships based on mutual trust
  • Friendships become increasingly important as they grow towards adolescence
  • Form social networks or 'circles' of friends
• Adolescence 9-18 years:

  • Sense of self-worth influenced more by peers than family
  • Copy styles of dress, beliefs, and behaviours of friends
  • Coping with the development of sexuality and social transition to independence
  • Historically seen as a time of 'storm and stress'
  • Smooth transition to adult roles without serious conflict with parents
• Adulthood 19-65 years:

  • Friendship networks continue to be important
  • Dominated by forming intimate partnerships and establishing a career
  • Marriage and parenthood represent major social developments
  • Time pressures in middle adulthood may limit social activity
  • Split time between work, caring for parents, family commitments, and wider social activities
  • Reduction in social activity reported due to time pressures
• Older adulthood 65+ years:

  • Following retirement, more free time to develop friendships through hobbies, pastimes, and travel
  • Increase involvement with close friends and family
  • Some choose to extend their network of social contacts
• • Marriage and parenthood are major social developments.
  • Time pressures may limit social activity.
  • Older adulthood 65+ years:
  • More free time for friendships, hobbies, and travel.
  • Increase involvement with close friends and family.
  • Choice between developing new social contacts or focusing on existing relationships.
• Stages of play:

  • Unoccupied Solo Play
  • Solitary Play
  • Parallel Play
  • Associative Play
  • Cooperative Play
• Play involves concentration, interest, independence, coordination, confidence, and social skills
• Play is a vital activity in children developing age-appropriate skills and understanding their place in the world
• Unoccupied Solo Play:

  • Children are seemingly not engaged or actively playing with others
  • Mostly seen in newborns and infants between the ages of 0 and 2
• Solitary Play:

  • Children play alone with toys different from those of others
  • Common in young toddlers between the ages of 2 and 3
• Parallel Play:

  • Children play side-by-side but lack group involvement
  • Common in toddlers between the ages of 2 ½ and 3 ½
• Associative Play:

  • Children play together but not focused towards a common goal
  • Begins around ages 3 or 4, extending into the preschool age
• Cooperative Play:

  • Play organized into groups with teamwork
  • Begins in the late preschool period, between the ages of 4 and 6
• Social skills are essential for aiding age-appropriate skill development and interaction with others
• Play is the voluntary engagement in self-motivated activities associated with pleasure and enjoyment
• Play is vital for children to develop age-appropriate skills and understand their place in the world
• There are six stages of play as outlined by sociologist Mildred Parten:

  • Unoccupied Play
  • Solitary Play
  • Onlooker Play
  • Parallel Play
  • Associative Play
  • Cooperative Play
• Unoccupied Play:

  • Children are seemingly not engaged or actively playing with others
  • Mostly seen in newborns and infants between the ages of 0 and 2
  • Important for future play exploration and development
• Solitary Play:

  • Children play alone with toys different from others
  • Most common in young toddlers between 2 and 3
  • Important for teaching children how to entertain themselves
• Parallel Play:

  • Children play side-by-side with a lack of group involvement
  • Common in toddlers between 2 ½ and 3 ½
  • Important for learning social skills and a transitory stage for social maturity
• Associative Play:

  • Children play together but not focused on a common goal
  • Begins around ages 3 or 4, extending into the pre-school age
  • Develops skills such as cooperation, problem-solving, and language development
• Cooperative Play:

  • Play becomes organized into groups with teamwork
  • Begins in the late preschool period, between the ages of 4 and 6
  • Culmination of skills learned in previous stages for social and group interactions
• Social skills are essential for interacting and communicating with others, aiding in age-appropriate skill development