I want to see that children have enjoyable social contacts and to help motivate children toward a desire to be with others. I will provide an early childhood setting that grant children numerous learning opportunities for social development.

Another goal I have for providing social guidance and have the benefit of positive communication with fellow peers is to play as a child learns the give-and-take of social interaction. I do this by creating physical and interpersonal environments that promote the development of children’s social skills. I also work with planning and arranging a social environment to enhance appropriate social behaviors. I have low open shelves and furniture scaled to size to stimulate child-initiated activities, self- care, and group responsibility. I have group activities, toys, materials, and placement furniture structured in ways that allow children to play alone or with someone else. I prefer to have many areas that lead the children to group play, such as dramatic play corners or blocks.  I provide books, puzzles, and easels, on the other hand to promote singular experiences but can also generate associative play.

I also grant cooperative play by providing more than one piece of equipment. I have placed two phones, three wagons, and eight cowboy hats to foster child-child interactions.  I enforce social contact by allowing enough time in their daily schedule for the children to get thoroughly involved in playing with one another.

I work with children on helping them develop trust. I believe that if they trust in themselves, their peers, and their teachers that is a major part of learning about social relationships. I enhance children’s social knowledge as they gradually improve their sense of trust. Having the children recognize others’ emotions and intentions is also important.

 My Educational Philosophy entails developing social and emotional trust by including and facilitating children’s interactions and interpreting their behavior. I help young children understand each other and pave the way for continued cooperation, I report and reflect on what is happening. In the classroom setting I call attention to the affect one child’s behavior may have on another. I also show approval and reinforce positive social behavior. Lastly I acknowledge and help children establish contact with others.

My responses to children’s social development are very critical in my Educational Philosophy. Early childhood is a time when children make judgments in error, coming to conclusions about children on the basics of race, gender, native language, or ability. I intervene then, for silence signals tacit approval.