Research on Prosocial Behavior in Early Childhood

A study published in Early Education and Development examines prosocial behavior in early childhood. It identified three main types of prosocial behavior: sharing, helping, and comforting. The study used parent and teacher reports, along with laboratory measures, to assess these behaviors.

The study found that girls were rated higher than boys in comforting, especially by teachers. Boys didn’t show significant differences in parent-reported helping or sharing. Parents and teachers also rated children’s prosocial behavior differently, especially in comforting and sharing.

Moreover, the study looked at whether prosocial behaviors reported by parents and teachers were linked to children’s sharing behavior in the Dictator Game, a task where children decide how to share resources. However, no significant connection was found.

This means that what parents and teachers say about children's helpfulness or sharing may not always match how children actually behave when making decisions about sharing.

Understanding the Research

In this study, the researchers looked at how prosocial behavior in children is reported by parents and teachers and how these reports relate to children's actual behavior in an experiment.

Prosocial behavior refers to actions that benefit others, such as sharing toys, helping others, or comforting a friend who is upset. Parents and teachers were asked to rate how often they observed these behaviors in children using a questionnaire.

In addition, the children’s behavior was also observed experimentally through a “Dictator Game.” In this game, they were given 10 stickers and could choose how many to share with another child. This allowed the researchers to see how much children chose to give away in a controlled situation.

These were the results:

• Girls scored higher than boys on comforting and received higher helping scores from teachers.
• No gender differences were found in parent-reported helping or sharing, or on the Dictator Game.
• A repeated measures MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) found that parents rated boys higher than teachers did on helping, sharing, and comforting, while girls received higher ratings for comforting.
• Parent and teacher reports of prosocial behaviors did not strongly match, which meant they viewed and rated these behaviors differently. Teachers gave higher importance to helping and sharing than parents did.
• Teachers’ reports of a child’s prosocial behavior were positively linked to the child’s ability to understand and process language. Meanwhile, parents’ reports were related to the child’s age (older children were seen as more prosocial) and negatively linked to the mother’s education level (children of less-educated mothers were seen as more prosocial).
• Children’s prosocial behavior differs across home and classroom settings, which suggests that context influences their behavior.

Practical Strategies for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers

This study shows the importance of helping children engage in prosocial behaviors in ways that are supportive — regardless of their gender or the setting. Here are some tips to consider:

Have equal expectations for all children

Promote gender-neutral behavior expectations. This would mean that you encourage kids, whether they’re boys or girls, to act kindly, help others, and share.

For example, instead of thinking that girls should be nurturing and boys should be independent, give them opportunities to do the same. This allows them to learn important social skills without any unfair expectations.

Adjust your approach based on your child’s age

Young children, like toddlers and preschoolers, are just starting to learn about sharing and helping. You can encourage them by setting easy examples, like taking turns with a toy or helping someone pick up something they dropped.

However, as they grow older, they’re ready for more complex prosocial behaviors, like comforting an upset friend or showing empathy. Help them notice when someone needs support by asking questions like, “How do you think your friend feels?” or “Is there something kind you could say or do to help them feel better?”

Teach them emotional awareness

Emotional awareness means noticing and understanding your own feelings and the feelings of others. This skill makes it easier for children to connect with other people.

Whether at home or in school, kids can be taught how to label different emotions as they happen. They need to know how emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, and fear feel, including the things that might trigger them.

Another great idea would be to pair them with another student in an activity, like reading a book or solving a puzzle together. Afterward, let them reflect on how the experience made them feel.

The researchers suggest that we need to take a more detailed approach when understanding children's behaviors. They also recommend being aware of any biases or differences that might affect how we perceive and report them.

For more resources to support prosocial behaviors in kids, see our Character Education Posters and Social Skills Worksheets!