Nursery World - Positive Relationships: Behaviour

Dealing with conflict is an important life skill, so practitioners must weigh up when to step in and provide a solution – and when to let the children sort it out for themselves, explains Nicola Watson

By the age of three, most children are keen to play and engage socially with other children, and early years settings provide rich and challenging environments for their fledgling skills. The Early Learning Goals for Personal, Social and Emotional Development in the EYFS (2017) involve children knowing how to play co-operatively, take turns and be sensitive to the feelings of others. These skills help them to form positive relationships.

Satisfying relationships with others are essential for the development of self-esteem and self-confidence, but as every practitioner knows, some children struggle to meet the challenges that social interaction involves.

CONFLICTS AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Evidence suggests that most practitioners regard conflicts between children as something to be avoided, and indeed there are occasions where adults must intervene to prevent harm or distress to children. However, to develop their skills, children need the opportunity to practise them.

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