A Review of Studies Related to Social Norms in Early-Childhood Care and Education

There are various kinds of social norms, and children first experience them in kindergartens or nursery schools, where they meet other children. This study reviews how/what kind of norms exist or are created in kindergarten/nursery schools, focusing on whether adults clearly tell children about norms or children create or think of them by themselves. The study concludes that more efforts are needed to understand social norms as they relate to: (1) children’s whole life experiences in kindergarten or nursery schools; (2) differences of individual conception; (3) features of caregivers’ values; and (4) long-term relationships among children