Nursery World - Ask the expert (38)

Educational therapist Andrea Clifford Poston answers your queries about child behaviour Q

I am worried about a four-year-old boy in my class who has been in school since September but still finds it difficult to join in with other children. He did not attend playgroup or nursery and is generally a shy and quiet child. He keenly watches the other children playing, almost longingly, but pushes me away if I try to persuade him to join in.

So many children socialise easily that we presume that it is instinctive and forget that children have to learn to get on with each other. Making friends is as much a developmental stage as learning to walk and talk, and children master these skills in their own time and at their own pace.

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