Influences on Social Interaction in Early Childhood: Temperament and Styles of Play - by Casey Nathan

Now that we have described solitary, parallel, associative, and cooperative play, let's look more closely at some of the reasons why children may have preferences for one style of play over another.

Just like adults, children have innate tendencies that influence their thoughts and feelings about social activities. At Abintra, we respect these inclinations while encouraging children to develop the social competencies that will enable them to be active community members. This often requires individualized support that builds upon student strengths and addresses any social and emotional weaknesses.

Temperament is one of the greatest influences on a child's preferred style of play. The construct of temperament is, sadly, too often over-simplified. Infants and young children may be broadly characterized as easy, slow to warm up, or difficult. In reality, temperament reflects the culmination of a vast number of social and emotional traits. Here are a few of the temperamental tendencies that influence how a child may choose to interact socially:

• Activity level: Some children are natural movers and shakers, whereas others are much more reserved. Children are often attracted to peers who share similar activity levels.

• Approach-withdrawal tendencies: Novel experiences tend to elicit both curiosity and fear. How a child responds to the unexpected impacts social development by either amplifying social experiences (approach) or minimizing them (withdrawal).

• Sensitivity: Children lie on a spectrum of sensitivity to sensory feedback. The more sensitive a child is to input from the senses, the harder it can be for them to tolerate the unpredictability of group activities.

• Attachment and security: Children with secure attachments have an easier time feeling confident to explore the world.

• Distractibility: Attention demands increase when multiple people are involved. Highly distractible children may be challenged to focus long enough to succeed with cooperative play.

• Emotional intensity: Children who experience intense emotions can easily become overwhelmed, and this sensation may cause them to avoid social situations. Further, peers may have difficulties wanting to include children who are over-responsive.

• Autonomy: When a child is very dependent on adults, he or she may prefer adult interaction and avoid active participation in social activities; however, children with limited autonomy can be guided toward the independence that supports age-appropriate social-skill development.

If you are observing your child's behavior closely enough, you can probably determine if a temperamental barrier lies between your child and more active social involvement. Your child is unlikely to tell you, "I don't want to join the other children because they are running too fast, and I'm afraid that I'm not agile enough to keep myself safe." You can decipher the underlying message by remaining cognizant of the fact that behavior IS communication.

If your child lies at the extreme end of any of these traits, please remember that most of these tendencies are flexible in the early years of life. With proper guidance, children can learn tools of self-regulation and become more successful with peer interactions. Guides at Abintra work with each child to develop the optimum combination of skills to succeed academically and socially. If you have questions about how to support your child's social development, your guides would be happy to offer suggestions that are tailored to your child's needs.