Understanding how to help children develop social skills is a key priority for parents, nannies, and all early-years caregivers. Strong social abilities—such as communication, empathy, cooperation, and emotional resilience—begin forming long before a child enters school. One of the most powerful ways to nurture these essential skills is through play based learning.
At Perfect Household Staff, we support families and professional nannies in creating enjoyable, meaningful play experiences that build confidence, emotional understanding, and positive social behaviours.
Why Play Is Essential for Social Development
From infancy to early school age, children naturally explore and understand the world through play. Everyday interactions—imaginative games, outdoor activities, or playing with a caregiver—help develop crucial social foundations, including:
- Communication and language development
- Emotional awareness and empathy
- Cooperation and teamwork
- Problem-solving and negotiation
- Confidence and independence
By encouraging interaction, cooperation, and imagination, play allows children to develop social skills through play, laying strong foundations for confident relationships and emotional growth.
How Play Helps Children Develop Social Skills
1. Communication and Language Development
Play gives children opportunities to speak, listen, and share ideas. Activities involving storytelling, dialogue, or collaborative roles encourage them to practise expressing themselves clearly and confidently.
Example: A nanny sets up a pretend “shop” where children take turns as the shopkeeper and customer. This encourages polite conversation, counting, turn-taking, and expressive vocabulary.
2. Empathy and Emotional Understanding
Imaginative play helps children understand different roles, feelings, and perspectives. This kind of emotional experimentation strengthens empathy and emotional intelligence.
Example: In a “doctor’s surgery” game, a child comforts a ‘patient’, learning to recognise fear, sadness, or excitement in others.
3. Sharing, Turn-Taking, and Fair Play
Collaborative games teach children the value of fairness, patience, and negotiation. These skills become essential in group settings such as nurseries and classrooms.
Example: Board games like Snakes and Ladders reinforce turn-taking, while building a group LEGO project encourages sharing and teamwork.
4. Conflict Resolution and Emotional Regulation
Play naturally involves disagreements. With gentle guidance, children learn to resolve conflicts calmly, negotiate solutions, and manage frustration.
Example: When two children want the same toy, a nanny can help them negotiate turns or suggest a cooperative activity, teaching them compromise and emotional control.
Examples of Play Activities That Support Social Development
Role-Play and Imaginative Play
Children create scenarios, negotiate storylines, and assign roles—deeply supporting communication, emotional understanding, and cooperation.
Try: “Family breakfast”, “Holiday travel”, “Firefighter rescue”, or setting up a pretend café at home.
Group Games and Cooperative Play
Group activities help children learn rules, collaboration, and clear communication.
Try: Hide-and-seek, treasure hunts, shared construction projects, or den-building.
Outdoor Adventure Play
Outdoor activities encourage teamwork, resilience, and trust-building.
Try: Nature scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, football games, and exploring local parks.
Creative and Hands-On Projects
Art and construction tasks require planning, sharing, and teamwork—ideal for social development.
Try: Group murals, building a cardboard city, creating a “family recipe book”, or cooking pretend meals.
Strong early childhood social skills are essential for building confidence, forming positive relationships, and supporting a child’s long-term emotional and social development.
The Crucial Role of Parents and Nannies
While free play is invaluable, adults play a key role in shaping positive behaviours. Parents and nannies provide safety, boundaries, and model respectful behaviour. A professionally trained nanny is particularly skilled at observing developmental needs and introducing social learning opportunities.
A qualified nanny can:
- Encourage balanced structured and unstructured play
- Support emotional learning
- Promote communication and early language skills
- Introduce teamwork and cooperative play
- Guide conflict resolution
- Monitor developmental milestones
For many families, a professional nanny becomes a trusted support in a child’s social and emotional learning journey.
Conclusion: The Value of a Skilled Nanny in Social Development
Recognising the importance of play in early social development is essential for helping children develop social skills that will benefit them for life. Through playful, nurturing experiences, families can create environments that strengthen confidence, communication, empathy, and emotional understanding. A highly skilled nanny plays a vital role in supporting early childhood social skills, transforming everyday play into meaningful opportunities for cooperation, problem-solving, and emotional well-being.
With the right guidance, children can thrive socially and build the foundations for positive relationships as they grow.
At Perfect Household Staff, we place experienced, qualified nannies who help children develop social skills through play, supporting confident communication and well-rounded development. Our nannies help children develop social skills and actively promote social skills development for children through engaging, play-based activities.
Contact Perfect Household Staff
✉️ Email:
📱 Phone: +44(0)2033184468
🌐 Website: www.perfecthouseholdstaff.co.uk
FAQs: Supporting Social Skills Through Play
At what age do children start developing social skills through play?
Social development begins from infancy. Babies use eye contact and sounds to interact, while toddlers move from parallel play to interactive play as they grow.
How can I encourage my child to share and take turns?
Modelling the behaviour you want to see is essential. Using simple games to practise turn-taking and offering praise for cooperation can help reinforce positive habits.
Are screen-based games helpful for social development?
While some educational apps offer benefits, face-to-face play remains the most effective way to build real-world social skills such as empathy and cooperation.
What if my child prefers to play alone?
Some children enjoy solitary play. Introduce social interaction gradually, beginning with calm, one-to-one play. A trained nanny can help build confidence gently over time.
How can a nanny help children develop social skills?
Nannies observe behaviour daily, encourage cooperative play, promote communication, and guide e
