Creating Play Centre Partners: How It Benefits Emotional Development Â
Having friends is essential for children’s development as well as their overall health and well-being. It’s important for children’s social and emotional development to be around others who have different personalities and different ideas. “Having friends helps children develop many life skills that are necessary in day-to-day activities. Without these skills children could struggle to build normal social skills or relationships,” says Kylie-Jane Shannon, the owner of Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre.
Young children (pre-school age) need to learn friendship skills. As they play with other children, they build skills that will help them in the present and into the future. These skills include; sharing, taking turns, cooperating, listening to others, managing disagreements as well as seeing other people’s points of view.
Other social skills that can be learnt when interacting with friends, are talking and listening respectfully as well as learning to win and lose graciously. It’s important for children to learn how to interact with others and to develop the correct skills to participate in group activities. Having good friends can also encourage good behaviour in children as they begin to be influenced by their friends.
When kids get older and they enter school, relationships with other people become even more important. Friendships at this age can influence children’s self-esteem. When they have a good friend or a good group of friends they feel that they belong. Their friends care for them and that makes them feel good about themselves.
This creates a general positive outlook on life. “Studies have found that children who build positive social and friendship skills are less likely to have social and emotional difficulties later in life,” says Kylie. Developing good friendships as young children also helps to increase their capacity for empathy as well as altruism.
Sometimes it can be tough for kids to make friends. Parents should encourage children to get involved socially and to make new friends. If children see that their parents encourage that behaviour, it can make them feel more comfortable to put themselves out there and make friends. There are ways for parents to help their children make friends. For example, taking children to an indoor play centre such as Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre, or a play area, like a park, are great spaces to expose children to others and to make friends and build good friendship skills. Opportunities such as this give children a large variety of friends to choose from. It’s helpful to teach children certain social cues such as how to respond to other children’s greetings. It’s also good to encourage a child to introduce themselves when they meet new children. Help them to learn the rules of games that they would like to play with others. This can help them to get involved in group activities in a seamless manner.
Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre continues to dedicate its expertise and delight to serving families within the town of Wallan, Victoria.
Check out their full range of services and current featured promotions at junglekids.com.au.Visit their Facebook page to view all their activities and special offerings. Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre is open seven (7) days a week and is open until 5:00pm on weekdays during the school holidays.
As part of their Play-all-day Single Admission, adults and babies attend free of charge. 12 months to 3 years old attend at $8.50 and 4 years old to 12 years old attend at $10.00.
Written and syndicated by: YDMA News
