Child’s Heart and Mind

Early childhood teachers everywhere are faced with the choice—to theme or not to theme? Themes are like worksheets; they represent a program model. I admit I used themes when I began my career in early childhood education.  I thought that the theme of the week that I had chosen had to represented and visible in all areas of the classroom. Fundamentally this practice was very short sighted on a number of levels. The greatest issue that I now see, in retrospect, is that themes are teacher directed and teacher owned.  Such a practice can lead to greatly restricting a child’s creativity and individuality. 

In this episode we reflect on the connection between infants/toddlers social emotion development and their cognitive development. 

Teachers are going to through a lot right now. There may be more stress existing in the early childhood field than has ever been felt. In this episode, we reflect on what teachers are going through and what means for our field going forward. 

As early  childhood educators, we know that play is an important part of children's development. We also know that it is important to set up an environment that is conducive to that development. The remaining question is what is our role while the children are engaged in play? 

Addressing challenging behaviors is about more than the behaviors of the children. As effective educators, we must look at the big picture. In this episode, we look at what makes up the 'big picture' using a culturally sensitive lens. 

What does Anti-bias education in early childhood look like? In this episode my friend Jenna and I reflect on a very worthwhile movie entitled, Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years.Check out the movie yourself at this link: https://www.antibiasleadersece.com/the-film-reflecting-on-anti-bias-education-in-action/

For this podcast, I am reviewing an article entitled “A Honeycomb Hypothesis by Sandra Duncan. This article can be found in the January/February issue of Exchange magazine. At the heart of the article is a look at schemas and how children through natural guided experiences. 

(There was a glitch in the recording. This episode is only about 25 mins.)Children can struggle with big emotions that they can’t control. This lack of control can lead to tantrums and outbursts. This is called emotional dysregulation. The good news is that there are lots of calming techniques that assist children work these emotions in a way that leads to growth. https://childmind.org/article/how-to-help-children-calm-down/

One does mindfulness mean to someone who hasn't developed language yet. Why is so important to practice mindful behavior from when children are very young? http://www.momentsaday.com/how-to-practice-mindfulness-with-a-baby/https://www.childcareexchange.com/catalog/product/mindful-touch-with-infants/8252331/

How does teaching and respect go together. Why is respect something not only adults have right to expect? 

What is grief and how should we support children through the process?      5 Tips to Help a Child Cope with Loss - YouTube

 Giving children choices helps them feel like they have some power and control over what they do. It’s a step in growing up. Everything isn’t planned for them. Making good choices is a skill that children will use for the rest of their lives. 

Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of another person. It is something that can make you vulnerable to becoming fatigued. "Compassion fatigue can also arise from direct exposure to traumatic events, which is common among first responders, or secondary exposure, most common among child protective caseworkers, educators or social workers. The anxiety and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped can be traumatizing for the helper.”-Child Care Exchange

We are busy with completing so many tasks involving required to support children's growth that we sometimes forget to spend quality time with ones we are here to support. Let's make time for the children. 

Play is a term normally associated with children. While we as adults focus heavily on work and family commitments. As a result, we never seem to have time for pure fun. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, play disappeared for many adults. When time is carved out some fun, the more likely choice ends up being zoning out in front of the TV or computer than engage in fun, rejuvenating play like we did as children. But play is not just essential for kids; it can be an important source of relaxation and stimulation for adults as well.

“Children’s development doesn’t pause whenever trauma occurs. Supporting development and building resilience can be easy and simple. doesn’t have to take a lot of extra time or effort. Back-and-forth ‘serve and return’ interactions are simple and easy,. They can be happen at anytime. You can do them during ordinary moments throughout the day. If your baby makes a coo or gurgle during a diaper change, make a sound back. If your toddler points to something, point at it too and say what the object is. Playing with a child is a great way to engage in serve and return—and relieve some stress for all.” 

Completing observations can seem like a tedious task. You might think to yourself, I see the children all day, why do I need to document it? Observing children is about more than seeing the children engaging in the classroom environment. It is a means gaining real insight the children's as they explore plan and learn. We learn from monitoring children’s physical actions, expressions, gestures and behaviors, and listening to them talking and interacting with others. We discover how children are developing, their likes and dislikes and how they learn through their play and interactions.  It also reveals more about the child as an individual, and how they interact with other children and adults.

How adults and children handle stress varies. The amount of support needed varies. What both these scenarios have in common is concept of support. PFA (Psychological First Aid) can help provide that support. In times such as they are now, children need this type of support more than ever. 

In this episode, I talk with Emma, "The Play Coach" about self-care. Please go the link below and check out her Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/theplaycoach/Thank you for listening. 

My guest for this episode is Dan Hodgins.Dan is an exceptional, internationally renowned presenter and author of two books titled, Boys: Changing the Classroom, Not the Child and his new book titled, GET OVER IT, Relearning guidance practices.  Daniel has done keynotes, workshops, and seminars in over 48 states, Japan, and Canadahttps://www.danieljhodgins.com/