Ages & Stages of Social Skills
Social skills are one of the many things parents start to ponder about as their child begins to mature and socially develop. You will begin to observe specific personality traits and the emergence of social skills. Whether your child is shy or outgoing, socialization is an important aspect of every child's development.
Social skills involve a lot more than just kids interacting with one another. Social development is tied to many other areas.
Social milestones are important because they will help to prepare a child to not only manage their own personal feelings but, also understand others’ feelings as well. This in turn helps with acceptable and respectful interactions.
Below is a general overview of a few major social developmental skills listed by age range.
Age 12-18 months:
Starts basic communication
Can recognize familiar people
Interacts with family members
Repeats sounds or actions to get attention
Engages in simple pretend behavior (Ex: feeding a doll)
Starts to demonstrate joint attention (Ex: sees a dog, points to the dog, and looks at the parent to make sure the parent sees it too)
2 years old:
Imitates others
Plays alongside others in what is called parallel play but, shows interest in other kids playing with them
Starts to extend relationships to others
3 years old:
Seeks others out. This is also referred to as associative play.
Starts to understand emotions and what they mean to others
Starts to learn how to take turns in turn-taking games. Begins to follow directions with 2-3 steps.
Starts to name friend’s and may understand when a friend is upset or sad
4 years-5 years old:
Starts to play with others and might prefer it over independent play
Starts to share more with others
Can be more physically affectionate towards others
Social skills and play skills go hand in hand. Play is a form of socialization between children and their peers. As children grow, play, and interact with others; it is building block for their social skills.
References:
https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/earlylearning/talk-read-sing/feelings-milestones.pdf