What Age Do Children Need To Have Friends

[jingjoe8]

I'm in a bit of a quandary at the moment,my son is only 12months old,but it won't be long before he will be off to kindergarten (2 to 21/2 yo in thailand) then school.So its now that i want to start thinking more about having a permanent residence.I personally would rather live near the beach and not far from a major city.All the beach places i have looked at are in communities with older farangs and not a lot of kids around.I could go further back from the beach there are a few communites which seem to cater for younger families.

So what age do children need to socialize with kids their own age?I'm going to put him in school so he'll socialize there.What about after school,surely by the time he gets home,theres hardly any time for friends.I will encourage him to join sports team and such for socialization,does he need to be around kids in the neighbourhood,if so what age.I will be a single dad when he lives with me,his mum will be 3hours away and will probably take him for the odd weekend.

[theblether]

Really he should be socialized with other children right away.

One of my ex girlfriends lived in a remote area ( in Scotland ) and she found it difficult to find friends for her two boys. When the older boy started school they had a lot of problems getting him used to other children and things that we would take for granted such as sharing toys etc. There was a three year age difference between her two boys, and the older one had taken on the role of the protector, again he couldn't get his head round being an equal with his peers.

At the end of the first academic year there was a suggestion he should be held back a year to help his socialization, I thought it was a good idea, my gf agreed, but the natural father threw a strop so he moved forward. I parted with my gf a few months later and I don't know how it panned out, however I do know that isolation is terrible for child development, get him in with other kids as fast as possible, and as much as possible.

ps. The little boy I am talking about was a lovely, thoughtful intelligent little boy, his mother did a great job bringing him up accepting what I said before. It was kinda heart breaking to see his confused wee face when trying to work out how to deal with other kids.

[Mario2008]

Per above.

Children are really horrible self centerd beings. They learn to interact socially by playing with other children and share toys etc with them. It is very important for their development to interact with others.

[jingjoe8]

i have done a bit of research on the net and it seems children don't actually start making or needing friends until the age of 8 or so,before that they play with other kids but don't start establishing relationships until 8 or so.The other interesting info i found was children who are homeschooled seem to be better balanced and socialize better with adults and their peers more so than children who attend schools.

I think at a young age up to 5, kindergarten will be good for interaction.I have actually found a nice little house near the beach and there seems to a few thai families around so i think he will be ok

[theblether]

This is an example of where the internet is a dangerous place.......we people who have been parents before are of the opinion, and in my case borne out of direct experience, that children that don't interact with other kids are at a disadvantage.

Playing freely and running wild is part of childhood.

Edited November 2, 2012 by theblether

[Boo]

they may not be conscious of forming stong bonds of friendships before age 8 but I can assure you that they do enjoy the company of other specific children over others from a young age & that interaction is absolutely essential to their development.

[Lannatyne]

That internet research is rubbish, jingjoe. For the child, please don't do that - it will really harm them.

I try to imagine my 7yr old in the situation you describe, and I can't. She has a wide circle of friends, and 'feeds' off each in different ways to develop her personal skills. And, those friends aren't just other kids, it's also the parents of those kids. At this age, they are like sponges - they soak so much in. If you don't allow the soaking, you'll end up with a dry sponge - think about it.

[jingjoe8]

all commonsense replies and taken on board ,cheers

[Tanaka]

I would say, judging from my experience, that as soon as they can sit up by themselves, would be a good time to start.