WiseJourney
SuperHonestlyContact Us
Back to WiseTips
Social & Emotional Development
Developing Relationships with Peers & Adults
WiseTip: SE-REL-M0009-P01A

Call your baby and other children by their names. Let older children interact with your baby.

1, 2

  1. New Jersey Birth to Three Early Learning Standards. (2013). New Jersey Council for Young Children.

  2. Rochat, P. (2001). Origins of self-concept. In G. Bremner & A. Fogel (Eds.), Handbooks of developmental psychology. Blackwell handbook of infant development (pp. 191-212). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

0-9 months
Play
WHY IT MATTERS

Calling babies by their names helps them to develop self-awareness as separate beings from the people in their environment and facilitates babies' initiating and responding when interacting with others.

1
  1. Rochat, P. (2001). Origins of self-concept. In G. Bremner & A. Fogel (Eds.), Handbooks of developmental psychology. Blackwell handbook of infant development (pp. 191-212). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Playing with others enhances infants' development of social skills, language and learning abilities. Young children benefit significantly from having play partners.

2
  1. Ginsburg, K.R. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1): 182–191. (Level IV)
Relationships with peers and adults are best built through playing with them. These relationships form the foundation for development in other domains such as brain and language development. Additionally, the beneficial effects of secure relationships with others can last into adulthood.
3, 4, 5

  1. McMullen, M.B., J. Addleman, A.M. Fulford, S. Mooney, S. Moore, S. Sisk, & J. Zachariah. 2009. “Learning to Be Me while Coming to Understand We: Encouraging Prosocial (Level III).

  2. Hagens, H. E. (1997). Strategies for encouraging peer interactions in infant/toddler programmes. Early Childhood Education Journal, 25, 147–149. (Level III) USA.

  3. Shonkoff, J., & Phillips, D., (Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development, Board on Children, Youth, and Families. National Research Council. (Level III)