Grade K • Social Foundations How to Support Your Child

Grade K Social Foundations

How To Support Your Child

 Why is it Important to Support Social Foundation Skills at Home?

"Social foundation skills are critical to development during early childhood because they connect directly to success in school, college and career. They also provide the base for 21st Century skills of collaboration, cooperation and critical thinking in adolescents. Young children grow and, eventually, have to be able to work effectively with others, with distractions, and amongst multiple demands. A large part of learning in the early years focuses on the development of social and emotional skills. When children have strong social foundations, they are better able to engage in constructive learning experiences, acquire strong study skills, and better organized when they learn. When they do not have these skills, they are often not ready for learning, regardless of grade."

Parents can provide opportunities for children to interact with others with social experiences such as visiting the local library, play dates with friends, and visits to local parks. Throughout the day look for ways to expose children to social foundations skills. This includes teaching children about:

• Initiative: taking steps to begin a task
• Planning: thinking about how to proceed
• Problem solving: considering and attempting a variety of approaches to reach a solution
• Persistence: keeping at a task even when faced with obstacles
• Reflection: taking time to think about what has just happened
• Self-confidence and competence: feeling competent and proud of achievements
• Community: demonstrating a commitment to building relationships and working with peers
• Empathy: expressing compassion and concern for others
• Conflict resolution: being able to find and honor solutions to social conflicts

Maryland State Department of Education. (2015).
Supporting Every Young Learner: Maryland’s Guide to Early Childhood Pedagogy: Birth-8.
Baltimore, MD: Maryland State Department of Education.

 Help Your Child Build Strong Social Foundations

You are your child's first teacher! Use the following Parent Tips from Ready at Five Links to an external site. to help your child build strong social and emotional skills through every day activities

• Give her many opportunities to share with others and take turns.
• Encourage your child to talk about his feelings.
• Model good listening skills by focusing on your child when they are talking.
• Respond to your child’s cries, and cuddle, hug, and talk to them.
• Praise acts of kindness and generosity.
• Take your child along when you are volunteering or helping others.
• Ask your child to try to do new things, like assisting with chores or helping out a friend.
• Demonstrate and encourage good manners, such as saying “please,” and “thank you.”
• Teach your child it’s okay to make mistakes or to try again when something doesn’t work the first time.