Facilitating Peer Interactions

Preschool

What We Saw: Two children were playing in the dramatic play area. The teacher had lined up some chairs in a row for them, and the children were pretending to ride on a bus. They each had their purses and babies along for the ride. The child in the front chair placed her bag around her shoulder, and accidentally bumped her friend that was sitting behind her. He screamed, "You hit me!" The teacher noticed the argument, and came over to see what was going on. The first child said to the teacher, "He is yelling at me because I hit him, but I did not mean to." The teacher responded, "Why don't you tell him that." She turned to her friend and said, "I did not really mean to hit you, I'm sorry." He said, "Okay, lets keep driving to the store." Both children began to pretend together again.

What It Means: Often children will turn to the teacher to settle the argument for them. Young children are still developing social competence, which is the ability to get along with others. They are still learning how to negotiate and solve problems with one another independently. The teacher helped this child develop social competence by telling her to express her feelings directly to her friend. This gave the children the opportunity to work it out for themselves. When children can successfully negotiate challenging times with others, it sets up a pattern for future positive interactions.

Toddlers

What We Saw: The teacher sits at the table next to a girl who is crying in response to another child's touch. "He touched you and you didn't like that". She wipes the girl's nose and puts several books on the table for her. The boy walks over and puts his hand on one of the books. The girl protests. The teacher takes him by the hand, saying "That's her book, let's find one for you." She takes his other hand, too, and leads him to the bookshelf where he chooses a book. She leads him back to the table and sits him in a chair on the other side of the table from the girl. "Can you sit there with the books?"

What It Means: The teacher recognizes and respects the girl's need for space and distance from the other children today. (This is foundation of all excellent practice: accurate observation and interpretation of child behavior.) She describes what happened and the girl's reaction to it. This narrating of children's actions, responses and feelings helps them to better understand themselves and others. The teacher uses words and physical touch to redirect the boy away. She lets him choose his own book, and leads him back to the table. She provides him with a defined place to sit, at a safe distance from, but still facing, the girl. This ensures that her need for distance is respected, while still supporting their interactions.

Toddlers

What We Saw: There are four children playing in the housekeeping corner. Three are actively engaging in play, the fourth is unsure at times in how to interact. The teacher joins the children. A child put a scarf on her head. Some children talk about having turkey and chocolate and ask the teacher if she would like some too. The children find some play money and say that they are going to the store. They ask the teacher if she would like anything from the store. The teacher replies, "Can you get me some milk at the store, please?" She then turns to the child who is not yet actively involved in the play and asks what he needs from the store and tells him to tell the other children what he needs. He repeats what the teacher has said, "Can you get me some milk at the store?" He then asks the teacher what she wants to eat. She replies, Eggs, please?" He and another boy walk to the shelf and pretend to get some eggs.

What It Means: Social competence includes the ability to initiate and maintain relationships with others. A child must learn how to approach other children, how to take turns, how to negotiate issues that come up and how to communicate effectively. Early childhood teachers often need to play the role of a facilitator in enhancing children’s social interactions to help them be successful. This may take the form of modeling appropriate words and actions that would facilitate peer interactions in a particular setting.

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