Chapter 12: Play and Peer Relationships
Learning Objectives
- Describe the role of social cognition and theory of mind in developing social relationships.
- Explain types of play and their function.
- Compare and contrast Piaget’s and Parten’s theories of play.
- Provide examples of what friendships look like in toddlerhood, middle childhood, and adolescence.
- Explain the role that crowds and cliques play in adolescent relationships and how this may be related to sociometric status.
- Identify forms of bullying (including cyberbullying), the effects of bullying, and strategies for preventing bullying.
Relationships within the family (parent-child and siblings) are not the only significant relationships in a child’s life. Peer relationships are also important. Social interaction with another child who is similar in age, skills, and knowledge provokes the development of many social skills that are valuable for the rest of life (Bukowski et al., 2011). In peer relationships, children learn how to initiate and maintain social interactions with other children. They learn skills for managing conflict, such as turn-taking, compromise, and bargaining. Play also involves the mutual, sometimes complex, coordination of goals, actions, and understanding. For example, as preschoolers engage in pretend play they create narratives together, choose roles, and collaborate to act out their stories. Through these experiences, children develop friendships that provide additional sources of security and support to those provided by their parents.
