In their first few years of life, young children acquire social and emotional skills, such as regulating emotions, sharing with others and following instructions. These skills lay the foundation for developing literacy, numeracy and other cognitive abilities that are critical for success in school and life.
Children who experience holistic development during their school years grow up to become global citizens. As important as it is to learn Math and English, it is equally necessary that kids in school get proper education in the arts and are taken on field trips. Giving equal weightage to both indoor as well as outdoor activities is what will make children well prepared for what lies outside in the real world.
Social development is the process through which children learn to build relationships. It involves learning the values, knowledge, and skills necessary to understand how to get along with others.
Leaving the classroom for a field trip places students in a different social environment. They get to meet a new set of adults and possibly interact with other children during the course of the field trip. These new interactions give them a vital lesson on how to behave in different settings.
As they develop and perceive their own individuality within their community, they also gain skills to communicate with other people and process their actions.
Social development can actually impact many of the other forms of development a child experiences. A child’s ability to interact in a healthy way with the people around her can impact everything from learning new words as a toddler, to being able to resist peer pressure as a high school student, to successfully navigating the challenges of adulthood.
Healthy social development can help your child:
- Develop language skills. An ability to interact with other children allows for more opportunities to practice and learn speech and language skills. This is a positive cycle, because as communication skills improve, a child is better able to relate to and react to the people around him.
- Strengthen learning skills. In addition to the impact social development can have on general communication skills, many researchers believe that having healthy relationships with peers (from preschool on up) allows for adjustment to different school settings and challenges.
- Resolve conflicts. Stronger self esteem and better language skills can ultimately lead to a better ability to resolve differences with peers.
- Establish positive attitude. A positive attitude ultimately leads to better relationships with others and higher levels of self-confidence.
The Growing Tree offers numerous social and emotional development programs with field trips. To learn more, contact us.