Navigating young children's friendship selection: implications for practice

Abstract

ABSTRACT Friendship is of great concern to young children (Unicef 2011. The State of the World's Children. New York: United Nations Children's Fund). Research also suggests the positive outcomes friendships have on children's development, learning and well-being (Daniels, Tina, Danielle Quigley, Lisa Menard, and Linda Spence. 2010. “My Best Friend Always Did and Still Does Betray Me Constantly: Examining Relational and Physical Victimization Within a Dyadic Friendship Context.” Canadian Journal of School Psychology 25 (1): 70–83; Hedges, Helen, and Maria Cooper. 2017. “Collaborative Meaning-Making Uusing Video Footage: Teachers and Researchers Analyse Children's Working Theories About Friendship.” European Early Childhood Educational Research Journal 25 (3): 398–411). This paper highlights how young children select their friends and how practitioners might use these data to support children's friendship choices. It draws upon on a phenomenological study of 5 and 6 year olds during which data were collected through small world play interviews. Findings provide new insights into how children select their friends, including pre-selection, using a selection criteria and putting selection into action. This paper argues for the need to listen to children's friendship selections and consider potential implications for practice.