Ages & Stages: How Children Build Friendships

Published on : 7 January 2018

Four-month-old Emma gurgles and coos as she sends an inviting glance toward her teacher. They make eye contact and her teacher responds with a playful, "You have so much to tell me!" A bright smile spreads from baby to teacher. Emma is learning that her world is a friendly place. The attachments she forms in early infancy are the prototypes for later friendships.

A baby is primed to form relationships. She naturally responds to the human voice and imitates facial expressions early on. She will signal invitations to play by catching your eye or calling out with babble. A playful response encourages these signals and enhances the baby's sense of self. You are her first model for relating to other people in respectful, cooperative friendships. Read the full article here at : http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3747174

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