1. Little Hands, Little Feet, Little Moments: Effective Classroom Practices to Create Impactful Caregiver Interactions
- Author
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Deaver, Alicia, Wright, Lindsay E., and Herrington, Brittany
- Abstract
Since social and emotional development in early childhood is so significant for success later in life and the foundation of the capacity for learning, it is essential for caregivers to build these capacities in young children through everyday moments (Russell, Lee, Spieker, & Oxford, 2016; Turculet & Tulbure, 2014). Caregivers who provide the child with choices, discuss the child's experiences, and are sensitive to the child's emotional states promote the development of empathy and social and emotional competence (Roopnarine & Davidson, 2015). Caregivers who respond to the child's actions and emotions and talk about those of others provide those learning opportunities, which is especially significant for children with special needs (Shire, Gulsrud, & Kasari, 2016; Test, Cunningham, & Lee, 2010). These relationships are bidirectional, as the ways caregivers respond to the child change as a child grows from an infant through the preschool years, and how the child responds to caregivers and their developmental needs can influence the caregiver's response. An increase in intentionality on behalf of the caregiver to cue into a child's non-verbal and verbal communication is important. In addition, attempting and responding accurately to the situation and the child's emotional state is especially important when a child's communication development may be atypical due to a delay (Shire et al., 2016). Caregivers can use responsive interactions, which means caregivers are tuned into the child and join in the play, communications, and actions in the present moment to provide individualized support to promote social and emotional competence (Leifield & Sanders, 2007). Responsive interactions during play and daily activities are essential for development as children acquire and apply new information through them (Landry et al., 2012). This article discusses approaches for responsive interactions with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
- Published
- 2020