Boys And Girls Superheroes In The Doll Corner Analysis

I had the great privilege to talk to my best friend’s daughter Alice. Alice is a six-year-old girl who lives in a small western town. I found Alice to be an absolute joy to talk to. Alice kept a quick pace in her conversation, and she was excited to tell me about the favorite people she has in her life, and the current issues she faces. I had read Vivian Gussin Paley’s book, “Boys and Girls: Superheroes in the Doll Corner” in preparation for our interview in order to establish somewhat of an understanding of children, how they play, and how the different genders have alternative styles to their games. In this paper, I will discuss the importance of forming and fostering early friendships, the roles parents and teachers play in helping establish

She excitedly began naming the other children whom she spends her time with while at school, and at recess where she is able to play with children from her class, as well as other classes. Sarah, Ellie, and Caiden are her three favorite friends that she has in her class. However, when out on the playground, her network of friends greatly expands to include: Shaleena, Zoie, Marcus, Avery, Madison, and Audre. Pauline Davey Zeece’s article titled, “Forming and Fostering Friendships in Early Childhood,” explores how early friendships contribute to young children's development in unique and meaningful ways. I was impressed by the multitude of positive benefits that having a large social group can have on a young child. Some of the positive benefits that Zeece (1995) lists are that, “it provides a vehicle for the sharing of experiences and thoughts, the guiding of trust and joy in the company of others, and the developing of conflict resolution and problem-solving skills” (45). Sharing was an important aspect in Zeece’s article. She explains that it helps children build trust in one another, as well as helping them in problem solving skills and develop their conflict resolution skills. One of the things that Alice told me was that her friend had recently given her a small toy, and that she was excited to go back to school

She even named a substitute teacher who was especially memorable. Alice stated that her teacher was very nice, gave her snacks, and did not require that she does a lot of math in class. Although she also stated that she enjoyed doing the math problems in school. Allie is comforted by the fact that her teacher is out at recess to accompany the children and keep the children behaving on the playground. Heidi L. Hollingsworth’s (2009), article titled, “Establishing Friendships in Early Childhood Inclusive Settings: What Roles Do Parents and Teachers Play?” is a model article describing the positive practices that parents and teachers play that help young children foster friendship because it lists concrete behavior examples that show that parents and teachers both have a positive view on the importance of friendships and the environment, the “tone,” and by providing opportunities for social interaction. Hollingsworth (2009) listed, “(a) supervising, (b) discussing friends and social skills, (c) talking about a specific friend, (d) greeting friends, and (e) bringing children to school” as positive behaviors that provide an environment inducive to fostering friendships (297). Hollingsworth (2009) also stressed the importance of setting the “tone,” by “(a) letting children choose their friends, (b) separating friends, (c) talking about all classmates being friends, and