Learning from Children in Early Childhood: A Year in the Lives of Young Friends

Drawing from critical childhood studies and informed by children’s right to voice, the book encourages readers to both respect children’s agency and strive to understand their diverse childhood experiences. This story of three boys—each with unique personalities but united by a strong desire to be friends—offers a powerful lens into the multiplexity of social and emotional development. Their challenges and struggles, resolutions and reconnections, challenge traditional ideas and ideals of what healthy social growth can look like, prompting educators to rethink what it means to foster emotional and relational well-being.

Learning from Children in Early Childhood: A Year in the Lives of Young Friends is key reading for educators, researchers, and students interested in children’s social lives, relational worlds and emotional development. It offers insights for those seeking to create inclusive, responsive environments that center children’s perspectives and experiences.