Identifying and Supporting Behaviours Associated with Co-operation, Assertion and Self-Control in Young Children Starting School

The transition to the first year of schooling has been perceived as one of the major challenges children have to face in their early childhood years. This transition can be a critical factor for children's adjustment to the demands of the school environment and in determining future school success. When children experience social difficulties in the early years of school they are more likely to continue experiencing these problems throughout their schooling. An understanding of the social skills that predict children's adjustment to the first year of schooling can assist early childhood staff to identify children at risk of maladjustment and to implement appropriate intervention strategies. This paper will identify social skills that contribute to the constructs of co-operation, assertion and self control. Strategies that early childhood staff can use in promoting adjustment to school will be addressed. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)