Nursery World - Social Interactions part 1: Creating an environment for positive encounters

In the first of a series on social interactions, Caroline Vollans explores positive environments to help children learn key skills

Environments should enable a range of play and interactions as well as make children feel secure and a sense of belonging

The Covid-19 lockdowns prevented us from socialising outside of the home, and the effects on social skills remain apparent for many young children. Practitioners report that turn-taking, building relationships, accepting boundaries, sharing and showing consideration to others are proving to be more difficult for the current cohort then previously.

How are settings responding so that ‘lockdown children’ do not lose out on opportunities to develop their social interactions? More broadly, what constitutes an environment in which children can thrive socially?

MORE SUPPORT

Jan Stillaway, deputy head teacher and SENDCO at Thomas Coram Centre and Nursery School, says, ‘We’re noticing an increase in some children needing more support in terms of their social and emotional and language development. We see many children being more dependent on adults, having poorer attention and less sophisticated collaborative play skills.’

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