Beginning of Social Behaviour - Early Childhood (2 yrs – 6 yrs)

Early childhood (2–6 years) is a period of rapid social development because the child comes in frequent contact with family members, friends, and peers. During these years, children learn how to behave with others, share, cooperate, and adjust to different social situations.

• Physical, mental, and language growth at around 2 years helps the child explore the environment and interact with people.
• Family is the first agent of socialization; parents teach dos and don’ts using praise and mild punishment.
• The child learns what behaviour others like and what they dislike.

• In nursery/pre‑primary school, the child meets many peers, and social development becomes faster.
• Around 2½–3 years, the child resists adults and wants independence; by 4–5 years, the child becomes more cooperative and seeks others’ approval.
• Social play and chances to share and cooperate increase.

• In the Sweta–Julie story, sharing a favourite toy is difficult but can be taught through calm explanation.
• In the marriage story, a boy repeatedly hurts a baby while parents ignore it, which strengthens antisocial behaviour.
• Main idea: parents must correct wrong acts and model right behaviour; children are made social/antisocial by training and environment.

• Young children are highly egocentric and see things mostly from their own point of view.
• Therefore, parents and teachers must train them in obedience, tolerance, sacrifice, cooperation, and good behaviour.
• Child‑rearing practices at home strongly affect later adjustment outside.

• As preschoolers grow older, non‑social activities decrease and social play increases.
• Around 2 years, parallel play is common; by 4–5 years, associative and cooperative play become frequent.
• Socialization is supported by identification (wanting to be like loved adults), imitation, desire for acceptance, and fear of punishment.

• Between 2 and 5 years, quarrels reduce, and friendly contacts increase.
• Children usually choose same‑sex friends; from 1–3 years, the number of friends increases, and later it narrows to a few close ones.
• Preschoolers often face conflicts; boys show more physical attacks, girls argue more, but overall, children are more cooperative than hostile.

• Competitive behaviour typically appears around 3–4 years.
• Competition can improve performance in tasks or games.
• Boys compete more than girls; lower-middle-class children show more competition than upper-middle-class children; highly competitive children often come from democratic, flexible homes.
• In preschool years, competitiveness and aggressiveness grow independently; the most competitive child is usually not the most aggressive.