Children 'learn skills from each other'

Learning from their peers is an integral part of children's development according to one psychologist, those with jobs in education may be interested to hear.

Dr Reissland, a senior lecturer at the University of Durham, said that group learning helps children understand a number of important concepts including competition and leadership.

"They learn that in different environments you have to behave differently and that comes through the group - they learn what is acceptable or not acceptable behaviour," she added.

While group activities can have some negative results such as bullying, Dr Reissland said that children could benefit from positive support and understanding from their peers.

"Children's humour differs from that of adults so children can have lots of fun with their peers and they can learn what is acceptable in a group," added the psychologist.

Meanwhile, research released by children's charity Play England suggests that a quarter of those aged seven to eight say that homework gets in the way of play.

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