Social Development

• Social skills


  • Sharing
  • Taking turns
  • Following rules
  • Co-operating
  • Good manners
  • Being clean & tidy
• Encouraging child's social development

  1. Encourage child to make friends

  2. Meet other children

  3. Teach child to share toys, take turns, learn not to be selfish

  4. Teach good manners e.g. please and thanks

  5. Have dinner together encourages table manners

  6. Teach importance of rules

  7. Take child on outings

  8. Ensure child has acceptable standards of hygiene

  9. Provide opportunities to build self-esteem

  10. Talk and read to them to encourage speech and language
• Stages of play


  • Solitary play - playing alone
  • Parallel play - playing alongside others but not with them
  • Onlooking play - watching from the edge of the group
  • Joining in play - playing with others by doing the same thing
  • Co-operative play - playing together, sharing the same task
• Role of parent, carers and family members in promoting positive behaviour


  • Be a good role model and ensure these behaviours are a good example for their children
  • Use good manners when speaking to children and show them how to behave
  • Reward good behaviour
  • Praise children when they are well-behaved
  • Set boundaries/rules to ensure they know what to expect
  • Speak quietly and calmly, do not shout
  • Encourage children to play with well-behaved children
  • Discipline children to let them know there are consequences for their actions
  • Keep promises, mean what you say, be consistent
• Managing unacceptable behaviour


  1. Say no firmly, especially if eye contact is made

  2. Distract the child - younger children may not understand why the behaviour is unacceptable, offering another activity will take their attention.

  3. Set clear firm boundaries - make it clear what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and stick to it

  4. Explain to the child why the behaviour is wrong or harmful if they are old enough to understand
• Sanctions should only be used in extreme cases, should be proportionate to the behaviour, and should not be harsh enough that children feel they can get away with things and repeat the behaviour
• social development

  • Developing social skills
  • Developing speaking and listening skills
  • Learning to share
  • Learning to co-operate and take turns
  • Learning to follow rules
  • Promoting friendship and forming bonds
  • Learning good manners
• Managing bad behaviour 


  Use eye contact and facial expressions - sometimes a look is enough to tell children what they are doing is unacceptable and once the unwanted behaviour has stepped, can be reinforced by praise
• Role of parents in promoting independence

  • children should be encouraged to feed themselves
  • give children responsibility e.g tidy up
  • encourage child to dress themselves
  • provide a step stool for sink
  • buy toys for their age group
  • allow them to make mistakes and don’t protect them too much
  • don’t do everything for them
  • be a positive role model
  • let them help e.g chores
  • read stories about other children being independent
• Independence

  • establish routines
  • let them make choices
  • encourage games which require sharing, taking turns, win/lose
  • spend time away from parents
  • attend playgroup/nursery
  • encourage a sense of responsibility with money