Member Login 
Member Login
Welcome, (First Name)!
Enter Member Area
Feel free to browse the pages, and watch us expand our wealth of resources! Registration is free for 6 months!
Football Fingerprints
CDA Competency Standard: II.6.1b
Football Fingerprints
|
Online Courses
Early Literacy
(1 hour / .1 CEU) Tuition: $10.50 Stages of Cognitive Development in Infants (1 hour / .1 CEU) Tuition: $10.50 
|
Importance of Social Skills
24th September 2014
by guest contributor Kathy Lasher
by guest contributor Kathy Lasher
Babies Love Other Babies or Children
For some reason they are attracted to puppies, kittens, chicks, and other small children. While they haven’t learned how to join together in play until the age of two or three year; they do have a fascination with the young. Surprisingly while they won’t play with one another they do find what the other child is doing to be desirable. In fact, if Dillan has a ball and is playing with it, often another toddler will go and take it; leaving Dillan crying in protest.
Perhaps Jane has a doll that suddenly becomes a fascination for another child. This is where the child care worker can gently intervene. “Anna, here is a doll for you to play with also; Jane is playing with that doll.” Or if a child has snatched a toy from another, you might intervene with, “Ruby, let’s give that toy back to Joey, see how sad he is. Here is another toy for you to play with.”
For some reason they are attracted to puppies, kittens, chicks, and other small children. While they haven’t learned how to join together in play until the age of two or three year; they do have a fascination with the young. Surprisingly while they won’t play with one another they do find what the other child is doing to be desirable. In fact, if Dillan has a ball and is playing with it, often another toddler will go and take it; leaving Dillan crying in protest.
Perhaps Jane has a doll that suddenly becomes a fascination for another child. This is where the child care worker can gently intervene. “Anna, here is a doll for you to play with also; Jane is playing with that doll.” Or if a child has snatched a toy from another, you might intervene with, “Ruby, let’s give that toy back to Joey, see how sad he is. Here is another toy for you to play with.”
Social graces must begin to be a part of life.
Yet in our society we have become so ‘techy’, that our social skills have diminished a bit. Imagine you have a child and as your day begins you are busy about getting up, taking a shower, readying your child and taking off to work. Perhaps you have a baby sitter or nanny, or you take your child to day care. You hurry along to drop your child off at the daycare, then to work. You become engrossed in the day’s duties – taking care of your job’s responsibilities, socializing with co-workers on the job or in the lunch room, then grocery shopping on the way to pick up your child.
By the time you and your family are home for the evening you are exhausted; yet, you still have dinner to make, eat, and a child or children to prepare for bed. So while you are busy with dinner, David watches TV or plays a video game so he will stay out from under foot. Then since you are tired you decide that dinner in front of the TV sounds nice. And again while cleaning up the dishes you allow David to play video games so you can finish faster. Later in the evening you get to relax and since your child is content with his video game you decide to let him continue. Next thing you know it is bed time.
Yet in our society we have become so ‘techy’, that our social skills have diminished a bit. Imagine you have a child and as your day begins you are busy about getting up, taking a shower, readying your child and taking off to work. Perhaps you have a baby sitter or nanny, or you take your child to day care. You hurry along to drop your child off at the daycare, then to work. You become engrossed in the day’s duties – taking care of your job’s responsibilities, socializing with co-workers on the job or in the lunch room, then grocery shopping on the way to pick up your child.
By the time you and your family are home for the evening you are exhausted; yet, you still have dinner to make, eat, and a child or children to prepare for bed. So while you are busy with dinner, David watches TV or plays a video game so he will stay out from under foot. Then since you are tired you decide that dinner in front of the TV sounds nice. And again while cleaning up the dishes you allow David to play video games so you can finish faster. Later in the evening you get to relax and since your child is content with his video game you decide to let him continue. Next thing you know it is bed time.
While you may be have gotten a variety of social interactions, it is very important to be providing that for David. Teaching him manners and trying to help him understand how to visit and care about another’s feelings will never be experienced from a video game. Only by true interaction will a child learn to provide appropriate responses; because an appropriate response must be a choice, even when you don’t feel like choosing that appropriate response or choice. And not only do you want to instill the desire for an appropriate response; but, the emotion of empathy to accompany it.
Every day, even when busy, you can be teaching your child. Instead of chatting on your cell phone (via speaker), on your way to work; visit with David about many things. Even discussing some decisions that you are having difficulties making, and why you are making a certain choice is important for him to hear. Not only do children have daily challenges but parents do as well and who better to learn from than you.
|
"The best way to teach a child restraint and generosity is to be a model of those qualities yourself."
~ Lawrence Balter |
|