This document discusses peer relationships and social development in early childhood. It explains that peer interactions progress from solitary play to parallel play to associative play and finally cooperative play between ages 1-3. It also discusses the importance of social skills for group entry, the development of aggression and prosocial behavior, and the influence of parenting on these behaviors.

1. Peer Relationships
BY: CHELSEA SEITZ
PSYCHOLOGY 1170-CO5

2. Why peer relationships is beneficial
towards my study.
 Being an early childhood educator I find that the relationships between
peers is very crucial.
 Its important for us educators to see how children associate with one
another and to have an understanding if maybe some children may just
have poor social skills.
 It is also great to know that between ages children start off not very social
and like to be alone; to where they understand and develop to become
more playful towards peers.

3. Solitary play
 Children are likely to spend some time alone and to play by themselves.

4. Parallel Play
 By 14 to 18 months, two or more children are likely to play together.
 They start to take interest in each other and gaze at or make noises at each
other.

5. Associative Play
 Toddlers will do their own activities but also join in with others, though
short lived.
 An example could be a child playing on one bike, then sees another child
on the other bike and decides to chase them.

6. Cooperative Play
 When a group of children work together to accomplish goals.
 It can be constructive or symbolic.
 Children may be cooperative in building a castle or playing
“house”.

7. Group-entry
 Play is related to the development of social skills, a set of behaviours that
lead to being accepted into partner play (group entry).
 Children will stand off to the side and observe others before they join the
play.
 Children with poor group-entry skills are often rejected.
 Poor skilled children often rely on aggression to others.

8. Aggression
 Behaviour is intended to harm another or damage an object.
 It usually changes over the pre-school years and on.
 Almost every young child shows a type of aggression to siblings, peers,
and adults.
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9. Continued…
 Physical aggression (reacting with anger, fighting, kicking, hitting, and
biting) starts with toddlers at about the age of two and may begin to
decline in the preschool years.
 Indirect aggression (indirect harm such as gossiping, saying bad things
about another, or telling others to exclude another) starts to increase
throughout preschool years to age elven.

10. Origins of Aggression
 Reinforcement plays a vital role in the development of aggressive patterns
of behaviour.
 Parents are reinforcing aggression to children when they give into their
tantrums.
 Psychologist Bandura found that children learn specific forms of
aggression, such as hitting, by watching others perform that (Modelling).
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11. Continued…
 Aggressiveness is likely established by the age of 17 months.
 Children who are brought up and exposed to aggression and violence in
their homes are twice as likely to be physically and indirectly aggressive.
 Children will learn that aggression is a way to solve problems.

12. Prosocial Behaviour
 Behaviour intended to help
another person.
 It is intentional and voluntary.
 Some kinds of prosocial behaviour,
such as taking turns, seem to
increase with age.
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13. Continued…
 Children of the age of 2 or 3 often start sharing toys or offer to help
another child.
 Children this young are often just learning and understanding this
different type of emotion.
 Children in preschool or early elementary are often the type to be more
welcome in comforting others.

14. Parental Influences
 If children are raised well and told what to do and not to do, they are more
likely to behave altruistically.
 Providing positive statements of cause is helpful.
 Stating rules positively and not negatively.
 It is also helpful to state the consequence of actions.

15. Parental Modelling
 Parents demonstrating consistency between what
they say and what they do.
 Letting your child help you in simple tasks like
making dinner or sharing a healthy meal with them.

16. Friendships
 It begins at about the age of 18 months where you see hints of
preferences in who a child wants to play with more.
 By age 3 they have a stable playmate.
 By age 4 children spend more of their time with another child.
 An important change in childhood is the formation of stable friends.