Making Friends – Building Relationships in Childcare

Relationship building is central to children’s learning experiences. Beginning within the family, children learn the natural rhythms of relating: the give and take required, the differences of opinion, point of view, emotional needs, and the intimacy and trust inherent in close relationships. Once these foundations have been formed, it is a wonderful experience for children to open up the world of relationships to incorporate people outside of the immediate family.

There are so many benefits to day care for children who may find it hard to socialise with people outside of their family. The qualified educators at Keiki Early Learning can help overcome this fear for your child.

Meeting new people is something we all do throughout our lives, and being comfortable in social settings makes life much easier. Supporting children to feel confident with this process from a young age will set them up with valuable interpersonal skills. Meeting new people helps children practice communication skills, understand differences, and build self-esteem and resilience. The basic tools for social interaction are all present in young children and while interactions at this age may seem rudimentary, the same key elements exist in adult relationships.

One of the most important aspects of new relationships is the exposure children have to different ways of being and doing. Every family has its own unique set of codes and behaviours, and stepping outside of these and seeing how other people do things is a healthy experience for children.

Working through problems and coming to a resolution is so good for young children. Coming up against different personalities is bound to raise some resistance, but learning that conflict can be resolved quickly and effectively will help them feel at ease with this natural dynamic.

Day care environments include children at a wide range of ages and stages, and learning to communicate across these stages is great for children. Some children are very chatty, while others communicate in non-verbal ways. This is an opportunity for your child to find out how they communicate and work on areas they might find challenging. Trained educators at Keiki day care centres can help identify communication patterns in your child. We can share these with you so together we can help your little one build confidence and articulation skills.

Socialising with others is fun for children. They may develop relationships at this age which can become central to their early childhood experiences, and make friends they will keep through their schooling years. It is also a valuable step for families to connect with other parents who are going through similar stages in parenting. Friendships that begin in child care centres can then be built upon with playdates outside of the day care centre.

This is a fun time for children and parents to reach out and connect with the people in their community. Keiki Early Learning offers high quality educational programs. Combined with natural spaces, light, and ambience, we offer a whole learning experience.

All these early skills will be expanded and honoured but building blocks of socialisation have to take shape from our early days of learning. Interacting with other children in a safe and supervised child care setting assures children to develop critical social skills more quickly.

Contact us to discuss Child Care options for your child in Mindarie, Hamersley or Trinity, Alkimos today by emailing schools@keikiearlylearning.com.au or filling out an enrolment form online.