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Do you ever end your workday thinking about the children you didn’t connect with? If your answer is, “Yes”, you are not alone. Here is a challenge for you! Start your day with a focused intention to connect with each child upon arrival and at minimum, twice more before they leave for the day. Follow these 3 simple tips to help you build trusting and healthy connections with the children in your care.
1) When the children arrive, welcome everyone with a warm hello and friendly smile. Say the child’s name and a phrase like, “I’m so happy to see you today.” Or “We are so glad you are here.” Get down to the child’s eye level, if you are able, and pause long enough to be certain they see your smile and hear your greeting. Make the effort to reach out to the children you missed as soon as possible, if you were busy when they arrived.
2) Stop for a moment to share an observation you make about the child and share it with them. Something simple like, “I see you are wearing your favorite color blue today. “ or “I can tell by your smile, you like mixing the paint colors.” or “Wow! You did a terrific job putting your things back in your cubby!”
3) Ask each child at least one open-ended question. When you ask the question; pause, face the child, and listen. Really listen and verbally reflect to show the child you heard their response. It can be as simple as, “How are you feeling today?” or “What are you interested in playing with today?” Give children time to respond. It is especially important for children who are slow to warm up or need more time to process. It’s worth the wait!
The goal is to end your day knowing you engaged in positive social interactions with each child in your care; to build healthy connections. Making connections is important to help children develop healthy social emotional development.
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