Play and Social Skills – Improving Social Interaction in the Playground
Play skill link heavily to social skills. Take a look at what activities to play, embrace or employ to ensure children grow into the best version of their social selves.
Learning how to interact with others at playtime is a big step for children. Therefore it is worth following some key steps to ensure they are becoming the best version of themselves through social interaction at school, in the playground and ultimately overall.
Outside the learning environment of the classroom, the playground offers an ideal chance for children to develop their newly formed interpersonal skills and build their confidence through independent socialising.
Peer to peer communications and interactions allow children to form their own opinions about how childhood socialisation functions. They begin to build the foundation of their personalities by navigating the ups and downs of how people respond to actions, play and interaction.
So, let’s take a look at what activities can ensure children are gaining the best advantage from these opportunities.
Developing social skills through Role Play
There’s a good reason why Role Play shows up in so many news articles and blog websites. Role Play is essential for childhood development and social interaction. Luckily, children are absolute naturals at this and, more often than not, will employ Role Play as a playground activity.
Due to the inherent necessity for communication in Role Play, this is one of the best ways to start children socialising. Who will be what character? What do they feel like? Who is going to be the baddie? These are all forms of communication that are key for childhood development.
As children learn to self-govern and negotiate what is allocated to who, their brains are firing off communication receptors. They will begin to understand the key nuances of what actions garner the best responses. These are key interactions in their childhood development that will be the building blocks for their later adult interactions.
So, what can you do to encourage and ensure the best Role Play? Give them a role play stage or a storytelling chair to play out their dreams! These dedicated settings will automatically trigger their imaginations to run wild whilst adding in the consideration of an audience!