ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how playing with others creates opportunities for young children to initiate actions and interactions that can be recognised as social connections. It focuses on the friendship experiences of two children in their nursery and what they tell us about providing support for peer relationships. It is widely accepted that young children's experiences at pre-school make a fundamental contribution to their social development, building their self-confidence as they realise that they can exercise some control in another environment beyond their home. The chapter focuses on how young children explore early friendships between themselves within a pre-school environment. It covers how children experience the transition from being playmates to being friends and the ways that their actions support these transitions. The importance of an environment which invites collaborative activity and group play was highlighted as an essential platform for children to explore social exchanges and develop friendships.
