🍏Learning to get along with a group is something a child learns in time. During the toddler years, children parallel play where they are together, but they play with separate toys and are sort of in their “own private Idaho.” I clearly remember when one of our sons and the neighbor boy hit about preschool age and they begin playing with the Brio Train set and Thomas the Tank Engine trains that also fit on that train track set. They usually got along quite well and they would play for, what seemed hours. As kid get older and are socialized through family interactions, school, church activities, sports, the arts and interactions in the neighborhood. In these settings they have ample opportunities to acquire social skills. When conflicts come up, it is good for the children to attempt to try to solve their own problems and for adults to observe without getting involved unless necessary. These conflicts are good opportunities for the development of problem solve skills. As children get older and technology gets introduced, sometimes, the development of the social skills can come to a halt or regress. Pay attention and if you see this, try to teach kids to take time away from their tablets and phones to interact with those around them. The technology is NOT going to go away and it is part of our culture now, but it DOES NOT NEED TO DOMINATE. We had the opportunity to spend time with some family friends not long ago who have college and high school aged kids. I was extremely impressed with how these kids from two families interacted with one another and with the adults. They didn’t know one another very well and they were able to connect, hang out together and I had fun interacting with them as I made breakfast and we all cleaned up. There were some conversations about their sororities/fraternities, the sixteen year old teenage boy celebrating his birthday and passing his drivers test and their areas of interest. These kids had phones but I saw very little of them. The focus was ‘hanging out’ and having fun. They helped with cleaning up tasks and all were able to enjoy one another’s company.
Seek out experiences for your kiddos to be with their peers. Summer camps are excellent opportunities for a break from technology (from what I understand there are many camps that don’t allow technology and give kids a hiatus from it all) and to let kids be kids and enjoy the summer.
Practice conversations and teach kids to be good listeners as well. Your efforts will be fruitful and help give your children confidence in interacting with their peers and others for a lifetime…
It’s a Great Day 🍏
