Level 3 Diploma Early Years Educator
Unit 1.4: Promote children's emotional well-being
This unit is about promoting babies, toddlers and children's emotional well-being. They need to develop warm, physical and loving relationship. Attachment or bonding is essential between the infant , child and parent. Children need to develop confidence, have self-esteem and be happy.
A nurturing environment is essential for a child's physical, social and intellectual development. Equally a child's emotional well-being is vital for a healthy development.
In the early years setting, practitioners can support children's emotional development if thy can understand and be aware of their needs.
so what are children's needs in relation to emotional well-being?
Babies, toddlers and children:
- Need to feel secure and safe
- Need to feel confidence and have self-esteem
- Need to have a sense of belonging
- Need to have awareness of self-image
- Need to have experiences and opportunities to play
- Need to be praised and recognised for their achievemnts
- Need to develop warm , physical and loving relationships
| Emotional well-being | Meeting needs of emotional well being |
|---|---|
| Need to feel safe | Form a bond with a key worker Form attachement with parent / carer in the home Implement safe guarding polices in the childcare setting Implement health and safety policies also. |
| Need to have a sense of belonging | Practice Equality and diversity policy: recognition of their culture, race and religion religion. Every child should be included in all the activities. Story time should reflect culture of the child, e.g characters in story telling should have names similar child's culture. Dolls should be all colours. Meals and snacks should be diverse enough to make provisions for children from diverse backgrounds. ,br> Read stories that reflect characters from diverse communities and/or show disabled people in a positive light e.g. parlympics, athletes, blind opera singer or musician Child's have their names on the coat pegs. In circle time: dress attire should be available to reflect different race and culture. e.g Russian fur hat, French beret, Turkish topkapi, Police man's Helment, sikh turban. Clothes: saris ,Japanese kimone, Toy animals from Africa , India and Siberia : white tiger, elephant, camel etc polar bears, or eagle. Display Children's painting on the wall to make them feel valued. |
| Need to feel confidence and self-esteem | Design activities that enable them to achieve. and for the able set up challenging activities Praise them for their achievement and their efforts. Reward them for good behaviour, medals and stars. Enable them to make decision, allow them to choose which toys to play with and give them preference what they want to do. encourage child led play and activities.. |
| Feeling happy | Praise them for their achievements and efforts
Talk and listen to them , show them respect. by nodding, smiling, eye contact and being at their level Giving them preferences to play with toys of their choice, or engage in activities that they desire fulfil thier wishes and desires. Give children choices too play with what thy like , food they want to eat . |
| need to be praised for achievements | Communicate positively: say well done, that wonderful, give medals or stars.
show off their work to others e.g painting display on wall, allow them to take it home.
Mum can place painting on fridge or kitchen cupboard Make them feel valued. |
| Need to develop warm, physical and loving relationship |
Allocate a key worker to settle child in, form bonding and trust. allow child to attach. Parents can form attachment by spending quality time with babies and todders. spend quality time with them. Giving them attention Being their for them Avoid Separation in the first 2 years When baby cries, pick them up and rock them Allow parents to stay to settle and give child a comforter: teddy or blanket known as transition objects during nursery to home changes. Types of transitions... |
| Can you think of any more | ? |
Mary Ainsworth
Mary Ainsworth carried out a study to show that when a child separates from their mother and is in the present of a stranger, he/she will experience anxiety and stress and this will manifest in their behaviour like crying. According to Ainsworth, this behaviour suggest that the child is securely attached to the mother or primary carer.
In another situation, when a child did not show signs of anxiety while separated from primary carer and in the company of a stranger suggest that the child is not attached to the mother or primary carer. This observation study is called the 'Strange Situation'
The purpose of the study is to observe how different babies aged between 12 and 24 react to a stranger when they are with their mothers, left alone and reunited with their mothers.
The procedure of the Strange Situation test
1. During the test, the infant is brought into a room with her mother and the infant is allowed to explore the room and play with the toys.
2. Then a stranger enters the room and talks to the mother
3. Then the mother leaves the infant with the stranger for 3 minutes.
4. The mother then returns and the stranger leaves.
5. The mother now remains with the infant for 3 minutes.
Have a look at the table below:
Types of attachment
| Type of attachment | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Secure attachment | Child explores and plays while mother is present in the room. Child will also interact with others in the room while mother is there. However, when the mother leaves the room, the child will not engage with the stranger. The child displays negative emotions: begins to cry, but is happy when mother returns. | Anxious resistant insecure attachment | Child shows irritation when stranger comes in the room, although mother is nearby. When mothers leaves the room, child stops playing or exploring and begins to cry; the child is very distressed. However, when mother returns, child acts resentful and is upset with the mother, he tries to move away from her. |
| Anxious avoidant insecure attachment | The child show no emotions; does not care whether mother is present or not; the child ignores the mother. The child ignores the stranger too. |
Bowlby's theory of attachment
Bowlbys earlier studies considered that a child will only form attachment or bonding only with their mother; this theory was known as monotropy. He also believed that if mother and baby did not bond within the first year of babies birth, then the child will experience emotional distress and social problems in later growing years and adulthood. Bowlby argued that maternal deprivation can have long term negative consequences for the child.
Do You agree with his earlier theories.
Why might a mother and child be separated in the early years ?
In later years, Bowlby worked with Ainsworth and their studies showed that a baby under 12 months can form multiple attachments including father, mother, grand-parents, carers. Further studies also showed that if high quality care is provided with a single substitue such as a carer or grand mother who can give that emotional care, then the negative long-term effects on childrens's development could be prevented.
Similarly, early studies carried out by James and Joyce Robertson ( 1950s) showed that when young children were separated from their parents they would diplay grief, cried , they were inconsolable, became apathetic and denied any affection or response to the mother when reunited. However, the finding from extensive studies showed that if the absent parents care was replaced by another person providing high quality emotional care, then the long-term effects on development could be prevented.
According to D W. Winnicott Children who are separated from their parents can get through the loss and grief of separation if they were given an object that they are attached to which gives them comfort, such as a cuddly toy or a blanket. He believed that children carried these objects with them to help them cope ; the cuddly toy maybe seen as a substitute for the mother who leaves the cuddly toy in the cot and symbolises that the mother will return . These objects are described as transitional objects used to provide comfort and security when away from familiar places like home or parents.
| Unusual Transitions | Effect of transition | Support available |
|---|---|---|
| Moving home | Feeling anxious, feeling sad to leave behind friends. | Encourage child to keep in touch with old friends by phone or e-mail. Invite child�s old friends to new home. |
| Separated parents | Feeling angry, withdrawal loss of appetite and not sleeping. | Counselling Allow child to see the other parent often. Arrange to spend time as a family once a month. |
| Teenage pregnancy.......Home to nursery | Feeling anxious, alone, scared. Tired |
Doctors / clinics Sex education at school Parents talking to child offering parental support Internet advisory lines. |
Can you think of any other unusual transitions children and young people may experience? |
? |
? |
| Age | Common Transitions |
|---|---|
| 0 - 6 months | Milk to solids |
| 0 - 12 months | Nappy changing to potty training |
| 0 - 12 months | Nappy changing to potty training |
| 0 - 3 years | Home to nursery |
| 4 - 5 years | Nappy changing to potty training |
| 5 - 11 years | Childhood to Puberty |
Early Years Foundation stage guidelines
for promoting emotional well-being in child-care setting:
A Key Person is someone who helps a baby or a child to settle in early years setting and helps them to feel safe and confident within the new setting. The key person also helps to build a relationship with the child and parents
- The Key Person works in partnership with the parent and carers to plan and deliver a personalised plan for the well-being, care and learning and development of the child
- The key person is responsible for the induction of the family and for settling the child into our setting.
- The key person offers unconditional regard for the child and is non-judgemental.
- The key person is responsible for developmental records (Learning Journal) and for sharing information on a regular basis with the child's parents to keep those records up-to-date, reflecting the full picture of the child in our setting and at home.
- All Key Persons encourage positive relationships between children in his/her Key Group spending time with them as a group each day.
How can the key person in the childcare setting provide consistent individual care?
REFERENCES
DFE (2017) Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2
DFE (2014) Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/eyfs-statutory-framework/
Every Child Matters (2003)
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130403155730/https://www.education.gov.uk/
publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DfES/1081/2004
Early learning and childcare
https://www.education.gov.uk
Caroline Meggit & Tina Bruce (2014) CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator. Hodder Education:London
Caroline Meggit (2011) CACHE Level 3 Children & Young People's Workforce Certificate. Hodder Education:London
Tassoni et al (2014) Level 3 Early Year Educator. Pearson: Harlow Essex
Tassoni et al (2011) Level 3 Certificate for the Children and Young People's Workforce. Pearson: Harlow Essex
www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-childcare-and-early-education
www.education.gov.uk/publications
www.foundationyears.org.uk.
www.legislation.gov.uk/
www.4children.org.uk