Forming Friendships in Early Childhood
Friendship is a special, and some may say, a vital part of life. In some cases, children will develop their first friendships in an early childhood setting. Friendship may come easy for some and more challenging for others. At Sage, our educators are experienced in providing opportunities for children to learn and develop in their social worlds, where forming friendships and managing intricacies of friendships is well supported by professionals.
Having friends boosts emotional wellbeing and feelings of joy and happiness. Friendships can assist in children developing confidence, self-esteem and self-worth. In general, having friends to share life experiences with can support children to have a positive outlook on life.
As children learn to play and interact with others, building lasting connections, they are exploring a range of social skills such as sharing, communication skills, turn-taking, empathy, respect, patience, listening skills, cooperating and negotiating. Children also explore concepts of diversity and inclusion as they learn about their friends developing an understanding of differences and similarities between people.
Here are some ways we support children to develop friendships at Sage:
- Social Play - We provide social play experiences, inviting children to join activities and play alongside each other
- Role modelling - We role model friendship behaviours such as greeting others, smiling, caring for others, being kind, engaging in conversations.
- Group times – We engage in group times with children where we have discussions about what it means to be kind and to be a good friend. We encourage children to practice these steps supporting them to feel confident to make friends.
- Read stories – We read stories to children where the concept of friendship is explored in books. This gives children opportunities to learn about friendships through other characters exploring different scenarios of friendships.
- Encourage and Praise – We are proactive about recognising and acknowledging positive behaviours towards other children helping them to identify those behaviours of a good friend.
- Inclusive practices – We ensure all our routines and practices throughout the day are inclusive of all children, providing extra support to those who may need more assistance to form friendships. This may include more guided interactions in small groups ensuring children’s comfort and sense of security.
- Conflict resolution – Friendships can have highs and lows. Educators observe children’s play closely and step in to provide support in resolving conflict that may arise. They teach children to listen to everyone’s perspective and feelings and help to problem solve. This is a good way to teach children about empathy and understanding different points of view.
Developing healthy friendships in early childhood can have a lasting impact on children’s social and emotional development leading into adulthood. Friendships can have a strong influence on children’s developing characters and personality teaching them lifelong skills for building healthy relationships.