Category Archives: Behaviour Guidance

Safe and Secure Relationships – Part 3 of 3

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Creating Safe and Secure Relationships in early learning environments results in children who are confident and curious to learn, more able to problem solve and have increased levels of frustration tolerance. Safe and Secure Relationships are essential and are the foundation in reducing behavioural challenges in all age groups. When a child is treated with empathy, they gain a sense of belonging that leads to positive relationships and optimal learning. Further, when children are treated with empathy they learn how to be empathetic towards others. Continue reading →

Attachment is the Work of Both the Caregiver and the Child

AttachmentWhat is a secure attachment?
A biologically based (innate) connection children feel to their parent or caregiver on whom they rely to help them feel safe, cared for, and protected. Attachment is the deep and lasting connection that children form with the people they depend on for care and protection. The work of attachment does not belong to the child. It involves caregiver as protector and the child needs to feel confident that the caregiver will protect them. Children form different kinds of attachment (e.g. secure or insecure) depending on how well their needs are met.

Different types of attachment:

  • Secure attachment – Caregiver reacts quickly and positively to child’s needs-
  • Insecure/Avoidant attachment – Caregiver is Unresponsive, uncaring, dismissive
  • Insecure/Ambivalent – Caregiver Responds to child inconsistently
  • Insecure/Disorganized – Caregiver is abusive or neglectful; responds in frightening or frightened ways

Continue reading →

Safe and Secure Relationships – Part 2 of 3

child-1439266Throughout development children strive for belonging, but they cannot mature among peers alone. Throughout development children strive for independence, but they cannot thrive in isolation. As children grow they require the guidance of adult mentors who understand their needs and who can help facilitate peer interactions. By satiating the attachment needs of the child, adults give them the confidence they need to explore and become capable and competent people. Children need to trust that our bond with them is bigger than any problem they can encounter. In this segment we will examine adult attachment versus peer orientation with regard to stages of development. Continue reading →

Safe and Secure Relationships – Part 1 of 3

Photo1_BC.jpgSafe and Secure relationships are the result of adults and children engaging in successful exchanges of bonding and attachment behaviour. Adults are responsible for initiating opportunities for bonding through responsive caregiving. Children become receptive to attachment through their engagement with the responsive adult. Creating Safe and Secure relationships in Early Learning environments results in children, who are confident and curious to learn, are more able to problem solve and have increased levels of frustration tolerance.  Safe and Secure relationships are essential and the foundation in reducing behavioural challenges. Continue reading →

How To Talk So Little Kids Will Listen

A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7
By Joanna Faber and Julie King

Book_May_EN“A Survival Guide to life with little children!”  Could this be true?

I am a mom of a lively 3 year old boy and a Resource Consultant (RC) who supports parents and Early Childhood Educators. I am thankful that I came across this book at our CISS resource library. Not only does it align with the practices used amongst our team of RC’s it also offers an abundance of fun, effective, concrete tools and tips that I couldn’t wait to begin implementing with my son and within my RC role.  Continue reading →

What to Include in a Calm Down Kit

The purpose of creating a calm down area is to provide a space to support the child in learning to self-regulate. It is a safe place for a child to take a break away from a stimulus that is causing stress, anxiety or anger (e.g., loud noises, having to share, feeling tired, or being excited). The child learns to identify overwhelming feelings and step away to regain self-control. Through this process the child engages in calming and relaxing activities and, once calm, is able to return to the activity or routine in progress. A calm down area should never be used as a time out or as a punishment.

There are a lot of different things you can include in a calm down kit and you will want to tailor it to your child(ren) and ensure the calm down area is supervised at all times. The kit should be readily available for both indoor and outdoor and can include: Continue reading →

My Space: Creating a Calm Down Area in a School Age Program 

The calm down area in our school age program has gone through several different versions since I began working here 4 years ago. There were times it was non-existent and there were failed attempts at hanging curtains from hula-hoops from the ceiling that came crashing down. For a long time, it consisted of a large dog bed pillow on the window bench with a couple of breathing visuals slapped on the window beside it. One thing it never seemed to be was inviting and, as a result, it was never used.  Continue reading →

The Benefits of Programming to support Children’s Development

Inclusive programming is crucial for the progressive development of skills in children. It provides the means and structure to incorporate children’s interests and to motivate each child in exploring, engaging and learning new skills. Programming reduces challenging behaviours within a group environment because children are actively engaged, motivated, and focussed on play.

While children are engaged in play, adults are able to observe abilities, needs, interests and learning styles to identify the goals and objectives. Programming should include a balance of both child-led and adult facilitated learning. Continue reading →