Learn that they are special through the responses of adults to individual differences and similarities.
Develop a curiosity about things and processes.
Take pleasure in learning new skills.
Instances of young children celebrating their special skills or qualities.
Ensure that each child is recognised as a valuable contributor to the group and celebrate cultural, religious and ethnic experiences.
Collect stories for, and make books about, children in the group, showing things they like to do.
Ensure resources reflect the diversity of children and adults within and beyond the setting.
Self-confidence and Self-esteem
Make choices that involve challenge, when adults ensure their safety.
Explore from the security of a close relationship with a caring and responsive adult.
Develop confidence in own abilities.
Demonstrates sense of self as an individual, for example, wants to do things independently, says "No" to adult, and so on.
Resists interference with ongoing activity.
Enjoys attention, likes to display skills to others.
Repeats actions when praised or reacted to.
Plays happily alone but near a familiar adult.
Watches the emotional reactions of familiar adults and uses them to guide in new situations, for example, watches your face before approaching a strange dog or climbing steps on a slide and stops if you look anxious.
Uses a familiar adult as a secure base from which to explore independently in new environments, for example, ventures away to play and interact with others, but returns for a cuddle if becomes anxious.
Seeks affection when tired or afraid.
Actively draws others into social interaction.
Smiles or laughs when successful in play or an activity.
Expresses discomfort, hunger, thirst and wishes to you.
Shows persistence in expressing needs or wishes if not met.
The challenges that children set themselves such as climbing on to a big chair and turning to sit down.
How children grow in confidence as they adapt to a setting.
Occasions when babies become confident to play happily on their own but near a familiar adult.
How babies watch your face and facial expression to guide them in new situations.
How babies cling when tired or afraid.
How babies begin to assert themselves and show resistance to adults.
How babies demonstrate their growing independence, wanting to do things for themselves and learning to say "No".
Be aware of and alert to possible dangers, while recognising the importance of encouraging young children's sense of exploration and mastery.
Involve all children in welcoming and caring for one another.
Consider ways in which you provide for children with disabilities to make choices, and express preferences about their carers and activities.
Display photographs of carers, so that when young children arrive, their parents can show them who will be there to take care of them.
Making Relationships
Look to others for responses which confirm, contribute to, or challenge their understanding of themselves.
Can be caring towards each other.
Likes to share pride and pleasure in new accomplishments.
Expresses emotions and seeks reaction, for example, to minor injury.
Cooperates in social activities.
Understands and responds to your requests.
Starts to share and 'give and take'.
Plays alongside other children (parallel play).
Responds to others' pleasure and distress; shows empathy.
Shows signs of jealousy.
Shows autonomy, for example, by defiance.
How children look to others to check the acceptability of their actions.
The different ways in which young children show their concern for other children.
How children express jealousy, defiance, pride and pleasure.
Give your full attention when young children look to you for a response.
Help young children to label emotions such as sadness, or happiness, by talking to them about their own feelings and those of others.
Respond to children's vocalisations or behaviours if they're trying to attract your attention. If you're busy out of sight, say "I can hear you, I'm coming".
Talk about what a child is doing, what they have been doing and will do.
Talk about what other people are doing and later about what people who are not there are doing, for example, "Pippa's at school".
Join in games that children initiate.
Clap, praise and show your pleasure when children do something pleasing.
Enjoy everyday activities together and chat about what you are doing.
Make sure children have opportunities to see other people communicating and having fun together.
If a child shows anxiety when left alone in a room, tell them you can hear them, what you're doing and that you'll be coming back soon. Use your voice to reassure them until you return.
If children hit or push other children or adults, say firmly, "No, that hurts them" and move them on to another activity. Don't make too much of it or they may start doing it to get your attention.
Introduce simple words for feelings and mental states into conversation like 'happy', 'sad', cross', 'hurt' and 'scared'. This helps children start to learn about words that express feelings and about what they are feeling themselves. You might say, for example, "You like playing in the sandpit, don't you? It makes you happy".
If another child in the setting is hurt or upset, talk about how that child is feeling. Help other children to console them by stroking their arm or cuddling them.
Regularly evaluate the way you respond to different children.
Choose books and stories in which characters show empathy for others.
Provide books which represent children's diverse backgrounds and which avoid negative stereotypes. Make photographic books about the children in the setting and encourage parents to contribute to these.
Behaviour and Self-control
Begin to learn that some things are theirs, some things are shared, and some things belong to other people.
Children's awareness of their own belongings, and those of others, such as when they show they know which is their comforter, or get another child's toy to give to them when they are upset.
Reduce incidents of frustration and conflict by keeping routines flexible so that young children can pursue their interests.
Duplicate materials and resources to reduce conflict, for example, two tricycles or two copies of the same book.
Self-care
Show a desire to help with dress and hygiene routines.
Communicate preferences.
Dressing:
Places hat on head.
Assists with dressing, for example, holds out arm for sleeve or foot for shoe.
Aware of where clothes are kept, for example, outdoor coat and shoes by the door.
Puts on hat and slip-on shoes.
Plays 'dressing-up' games.
Unzips front zipper on coat or jacket.
Helps take coat off.
The efforts young children make to take off their own clothes.
Children's choices.
Praise effort such as when a young child offers their arm to put in a coat sleeve.
Be aware of differences in cultural attitudes to children's developing independence.
Dressing:
Encourage active involvement by expecting children to push their arm down a sleeve or take a leg out of trousers when asked. Give lots of encouragement and time to react. Keep trying each time you change their clothes or help them to undress.
Talk about what you're going to do, demonstrate, and then ask children to do it for themselves.
Dressing up in larger clothes can be fun and easier for children learning the movements needed. Old adult shirts can be particularly helpful as there is more room for manoeuvring.
Hats are often the first item of clothing children can put on unaided.
Move on to removing trousers – use loose, elasticated waists and start off by leaving only one leg on around the ankle, encouraging children to pull it off. Show them how to pull it off while sitting on the floor and later make it more difficult, leaving two legs of the trousers around two ankles.
Show children how to open fasteners, Velcro and large buttons. Lots of toys incorporate fasteners of different kinds that provide opportunities to practise. Show children how to practise pulling up and closing zips on adult clothes used for dressing up (the zips are longer) and on toys.
Practise taking off coats. As toilet training moves forward, encourage children to pull their trousers and pants up and down. Use elasticated waists or unfasten them first. Use simple verbal descriptions and instructions as well as demonstrating what needs to be done.
Ensure that there is time for young children to complete a self-chosen task, such as trying to put on their own shoes.
Sense of Community
Learn that they have similarities and differences that connect them to, and distinguish them from, others.
Young children's interest in similarities and differences, for example, their footwear, or patterns on their clothes and in physical appearance including hair texture and skin colour.
Help children to learn each other's names, for example, through songs and rhymes.
Be positive about differences and support children's acceptance of difference. Be aware that negative attitudes towards difference are learned from examples the children witness.
Display pictures of groups of young children, showing what they look like, and the things they like to do, eat, or play with. Provide positive images of all children including those with diverse physical characteristics, including disabilities.
Support children's understanding of difference and of empathy by using props such as Persona dolls to tell stories about diverse experiences, ensuring that negative stereotyping is avoided.
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
00012-2007CDO-EN