Nursery World - Won't play, can't play

So many children socialise easily that we presume it is instinctive, forgetting that they have to learn how to do it. Educational therapist Andrea Clifford-Poston explains how to help children who find it difficult. What an extraordinary transition it is from being someone special in the family to being one of many in a group! Making friends is as much a developmental stage as learning to walk and talk. Children master the skills in their own time and at their own pace. Some will always be more content with their own company - nothing wrong with that - but by eight years old, most will have made some form of friendship, so the child who is unable to relate easily to other children needs to be taken seriously.

What an extraordinary transition it is from being someone special in the family to being one of many in a group! Making friends is as much a developmental stage as learning to walk and talk. Children master the skills in their own time and at their own pace. Some will always be more content with their own company - nothing wrong with that - but by eight years old, most will have made some form of friendship, so the child who is unable to relate easily to other children needs to be taken seriously.

Enjoying your own company is different from being isolated.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included