Interactions that Nurture Children

Transitions happen frequently for young children—from home to a care service, between rooms in a care service, from one routine to another as well as bigger transitions such as from a care service to kindergarten and school. Shared information and collaboration are a key part of helping a child be successful at navigating transitions.

Continuity during transitions

Children need active and skilled support to manage transitions physically, emotionally and cognitively. Transitions are times of opportunity for learning and resilience building. Information sharing is a key part of helping children prepare for and move through the change.

When children feel supported and have reliable and consistent guidance, the stress of the transition decreases, they feel emotionally supported and their self-esteem grows.

Early childhood educators support children through transitions by following these practices:

Welcoming a new child

Starting at your service will be a significant transition for the child. Consider how you can help them feel welcome and positive about the transition. You should try to adhere to the following tips:

• Educate yourself – Use the enrolment information and discussions with the child’s family to learn about the child's cultural and developmental background.
• Remember that the transition will be gradual – It is not a one-day affair. Completing the first day is not the end of the transition.
• Partner with the child’s family – Talking and relating with their family shows the child that they and their family are important, which helps them feel more secure. The child is also more likely to trust you if they can see their family trusts you and has a positive relationship with you.
• Think about who the child is – Pay attention to the child and discover their interests and abilities. Find methods to build on these in meaningful ways to help the child feel the educators at the service care about them.
• Consider others’ ideas – Talk with your colleagues to generate other ways you can help the child transitioning to your service feel welcome.

More methods for assisting children commencing care include:

• Ensuring the parents and the child meet the educators
• Creating a drop-off routine by showing the child where to put their bags and say goodbye
• Comforting and engaging the child in play.

Small transitions

Smaller transitions, such as between activities and settings—from lunchtime to outdoor play, or rest time to indoor play, for example—can sometimes be as challenging for young children as more significant transitions. Providing targeted support for children that is based on their individual needs can support their social, emotional and learning growth.

In the following case studies, a child is acting out during a transition. Consider the possible reasons listed to understand each child’s reaction.

Possible reasons for Carla’s behaviour:

• Carla had not been given enough time to prepare for the transition and was not aware it was happening.
• Carla feels her desire to play is not being considered.
• Carla might be uncomfortable moving between environments and feels uncertain about what is going on.
• Carla may not understand what is required of her or that she will be able to come back to play soon.

Possible reasons for Alex’s behaviour:

• Alex feels unsettled that everyone is moving in the environment.
• Alex does not understand the routine and does not know what he should be doing. This makes him feel unsafe.
• Alex had not been given enough instruction or support by the educator.
• Alex had not been given enough time to understand and prepare for the transition.

Strategies that support smooth transitions

There are several strategies that you can use to support children to become competent in moving through all the transitions they will encounter each day.

Be aware of how a child is likely to experience a small transition and contribute to their perspective.

Ask yourself:

• Is the child deep in a learning experience?
• Is the transition impacting the child’s learning?

Small transitions such as moving from an indoor to an outdoor play area involve change that may make very young children feel hesitant. It is important to pay close attention to the child’s physical and emotional responses and recognise when a child needs additional support.

Ask yourself:

• Is this transition unsettling or scary to the child?
• Are they confused?
• Is the transition a trigger for an emotional response?
• What is the child’s body language telling you about how they feel?

Generally, strategies fall into one of three categories: before, during and after the transition:

We will now explore how you might apply some of these strategies to help Carla and Alex with the transitions they find difficult.

WATCH

Watch the following 6-minute video for ten (10) transition songs that may help grabbing children attention and make transition easier: (The video starts at 0:44)

WATCH

Watch the following 2-minute video published by Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA) Victoria/Tasmania to see an example of a transition for pre-schoolers (3-5 year-olds):

Transitions and additional needs

Children with additional needs often require additional support during small transitions. Being aware of their needs and planning for them can have a huge impact on the quality of learning and involvement of children with additional needs throughout a daily routine.

In an early childhood setting, you may need to support additional needs.

While autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two different diagnoses, they require a similar level of support. Children with autism or ADHD may feel overwhelmed with the number of children and staff, and the level of noise in the room. They may have high energy levels and find it a challenge to concentrate, understand the social situation, and verbalise their thoughts and emotions. How would you support the transition of a child with autism or ADHD and their family?

It is important to:

• Create space for the child and their family
• Put calming music on
• Have educators approach the child one at a time
• Set up experiences that the child is interested in
• Ask the family what support the service can offer
• Have visual communication cards to make communicating with the child easier.

Children with conditions such as cerebral palsy who require physical considerations may benefit from specific changes to the layout of the room or service to support their ability to manage transitions.

WATCH

Watch the following 3-minute video to learn about how Albert, a young boy with cerebral palsy, managed a transition to an early childhood education and care setting and the active role his mother, Emma, played:

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Embedding routines and rituals

Routines

Early childhood education and care services need to ensure that each room has a flexible routine that meets the needs of every child. Room routines provide the children with a sense of predictability, which provides safety and security. This alone assists the children to trust in educators and develop genuine and supportive relationships with them.

Routines should guide the educators and children on the flow of the day. Being flexible with the routine means that educators do not simply stick to a strict schedule but instead provide the appropriate care and opportunities at the required moments of the day.

Routines will often have time frames as a guidance on when the routines would begin. However, educators will always read the room and consider where each child is within the current activity and will move through the routine at times and moments that suit the room.

Room routines often include:

• Transitions to the room
• Mealtimes
• Sleep and restful play times
• Indoor and outdoor programs
• Group times (if appropriate)
• Uninterrupted play time.

Routines will be developed on the basis of the needs of the children within the room. Therefore, room routines will differ for infants and children aged 3-5.

Routines are often printed and displayed in the room and are referred to throughout the day.

Here are some examples of routines from Little.ly Early Learning Centre:

• Scarlett Oak (6wk-12 mths) room routine
• Willow Oak room (1 - 2 yr) room routine
• Bur Oak (2-3 yr) room routine
• Chestnut Oak (3-4 yr) room routine
• Valley Oak room (4-5 yr) routine

Rituals

Rituals are often confused with the term ‘routine’. Rituals are different to a routine—routines refer to the task that is being completed, whereas rituals have a focus on how the task is completed. Each child has their own rituals that the educator will need to learn and support to assist the child in feeling comfortable through each task in a routine.

Children will have different rituals throughout all the tasks in a routine. As an educator you need to observe and care for the children in order to identify the little rituals they have. Once you have learned these rituals, you need to plan and provide support around them. This will result in a trusting and respectful relationship with the children. This does not apply to just children under three years of age—all children will have rituals and ways of completing tasks.

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Children feel your confidence and nurturing in the way you physically interact with them, and this is especially true for babies and toddlers because they frequently need to be comforted and held.

Caring for babies and toddlers requires safe practices for picking up and holding them, practices that are safe for them, for you and for the other children around you.

This section will help you learn these practices.

Picking up and holding a baby

Babies who are six months and under require you to support their neck and back while picking them up and while holding them. This is critical to the health of their body and developing spine. It is also important to put down a baby with head and back support.

WATCH

Watch the following almost 2-minute short demonstration of how to hold a baby under six months:

When a baby becomes uncomfortable in your arms, you will need to change the position of how you are holding them to increase comfort.

These tips will help you make sure you are holding the baby correctly:

• Make sure the baby can move their head around and breathe easily.
• Use skin-to-skin contact when holding a baby to help them keep warm and feel connected.
• If you have a situation where the baby is very upset and you are feeling nervous, sit down. This ensures you can give them your full attention, and it is often calming for the adult too.
• Never shake or startle a baby to wake them up. Instead, touch their cheek or gently tickle their feet.
• Keep the child safe from risk of falling when you are engaging in high-risk tasks (such as moving upstairs) by holding the child with both hands.
• If you are feeling upset, frustrated or angry, put the baby down in a safe space and tend to yourself so that you can be with them in a calm way. You may need to engage another educator to assist you with supervising the baby.

Actions to avoid include:

• Holding a baby in one arm and a hot drink (or another item) in the other
• Holding a baby around the waist only
• Holding a baby so their head is on your shoulder. Instead, ensure their head is over your shoulder to keep their airways unobstructed.

For more tips about holding a newborn, read this article published by Raising Children Network.

WATCH

Watch the following 1-minute video published by the Raising Children Network to learn about different positions for holding a baby:

Picking up and holding a toddler

Toddlers often like to be picked up for comfort and engagement, and sometimes you may need to pick them up for safety reasons. Because they are bigger than babies and much more capable of movement, it is important to pick up and hold toddlers in a way that is safe for them and for you.

WATCH

Watch the following 5-minute video published by Pediatric Home Service to learn how to safely pick up and hold a toddler and older child:

When picking up and holding a toddler, it is important to note the following:

• Always use safe manual handling techniques, which include pulling the child in close to your waist, squatting before lifting, and lifting with your legs.
• Ensure you hold the child facing your chest and refrain from placing a toddler on your hip.
• Protect yourself and the child by placing a hand under the child’s bottom and one across their back.
• Consider if you actually need to lift the child. Can you comfort them from the floor? Can they use stairs or walk themselves to the area?

Check your understanding

As educators and adults our primary form of communication is body language and recognisable verbal communication. These forms of communication are often successful in communicating with children over the age of three, as they have developed the ability to communicate using recognisable verbal language. However, children under three years of age, such as babies and toddlers, are still developing their communication skills. As an educator we need to learn and understand how babies and toddlers communicate their needs with us.

All babies and toddlers communicate with educators, and it is our role to understand and respond to babies’ and toddlers’ needs. Infants communicate through body language and sound—we call these ‘cues’. Toddlers communicate through body language, sound, and one or two-word sentences.

These signs or cues of communication all have a value. This is the baby or toddler trying to communicate a need to you. Each child will have their own set of cues. You will need to spend time with each child to learn and observe their communication styles and understand what each cue is requiring. Then you will be able to respond to the child’s care needs efficiently.

When you identify a cue of a baby or toddler, consider if the child is communicating any of the following feelings or needs:

• Hunger
• Tiredness
• Feeling unwell
• Pain
• Needing gas relief
• Wanting attention or comfort
• Needing a nappy change
• Boredom

Toddlers are growing, learning and developing quickly. They can get frustrated if they can’t find the right way to communicate with you. Therefore, toddlers have a wider variety of cues and cues to communicate with as they more skills developed: they can move around and they can talk 1–2-word sentences or just by using baby-language. Toddlers often communicate with their behaviour: sometimes they are trying to demand attention with challenging behaviour, such as biting peers, kicking or throwing objects.

It is advisable to get to know toddlers to avoid extreme behaviour and set up daily routines that are predictable and address toddlers’ needs, such as having meals and rest/sleep at the same time. Often, toddlers are transitioning to night sleep only. Quiet rest-time activities and relaxing yoga activities may help with the transition. It also helps if we try to keep daily patterns flexible, to allow to cater for the individual children’s needs.

WATCH

To learn more about babies and toddler cues, refer to the following link and watch the videos in relation to baby cues from the Raising Children Network:

• ‘Baby Cues and Baby Body Language: A Guide’

The following 10-minute video explains some of the basic baby signs and cues to help you understand the emotions of being tired, hungry or over-stimulated:

In this section we will explore how to actively supervise children within all environments including routine practices, such as play, sleep and mealtime.

Supervision is much more than simply keeping an eye on a child. It is a direct and active skill that provides guidance, nurturing, protection and support.

When actively supervising children, educators need to ensure they consider:

• The meaning of active supervision
• Supervision requirements
• Approaches to supervision
• Teamwork and communication.

Educators’ active supervision considerations are required to be in line with the National Quality Standard (NQS) and the Education and Care Services National Regulations.

The importance of actively supervising children to promote children’s health, safety and learning is reflected in:

• Quality Area 2 of the National Quality Standard (NQS), in particular:
  • Standard 2.2: Each child is protected
    • Element 2.2.1: At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard.
• National Law:
  • Section 165: Offence to inadequately supervise children
  • Section 167: Offence relating to protection of children from harm and hazards
  • Section 174: Offence to fail to notify certain information to Regulatory Authority
• National Regulations:
  • Regulation 101 (2)(f): Supervision during excursions.
  • Regulation 115: Premises designed to facilitate supervision.
  • Regulation 168(2)(h): Policies and procedures are required in relation to providing a child safe environment.
  • Regulation 176: Timeframes for notifying certain information to the Regulatory Authority.

The Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has developed this information sheet highlighting in detail how to meet the four supervision considerations.

The National Quality Framework (NQF) sets out standards for educator to child ratios. Visit ACECQA’s website to learn more about the requirements for your specific state/territory. Note, that ratios are calculated across the whole service (not by individual rooms). At the bottom of the page you can try the calculator to see how many educator you need for one or mixed age-group of children.

Centre-based ratio requirements:

Supervision and the level of supervision will vary based on the development of the children in your care and the environment they are in. Routines such as rest/sleep time, toileting, mealtime and play can require differences in how you supervise for a six-month-old compared with a four-year-old. For example, while 3-5-year-old children are independent and don’t require high level of supervision during mealtimes, infants need close supervision during feeding. However, if you have a preschool-age child with additional needs, you would need to adjust your level of supervision to higher level as the child may need assistance and support.

The nature of supervision often changes based on the situation:

You will learn more about rest supervision in later topics.

The nature of supervision often changes based on the situation:

Some children may require additional supervision.

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Children are naturally enthusiastic learners, particularly when educators encourage their curiosity and exploration in a way that meets their developmental and individual needs. It is important for educators to consider their interactions and practices when engaging with children to provide opportunity for learning and growth.

Using intentional teaching to support a child

Interactions that encourage learning, development and wellbeing will naturally vary across age groups and based on an individual child's needs.

Learning can happen in different contexts for children— from direct interaction to watching others, play, routines and self-help tasks. Even sleep is an opportunity for children to learn.

Children’s learning thrives in environments where children have well-developed relationships with their educators and feel a sense of being safe and secure. As always, educators need to consider the National Quality Standard.

Play is central to the learning and development of children. It stimulates intellectual, physical, social and creative abilities. This recognition has led to the development of integrated teaching and learning approaches.

Integrated teaching and learning involve three (3) different approaches:

• Child-directed play: Children lead through exploring, imagining, experimenting or investigating in ways they control. The adult observes what the child knows and understands.
• Guided play: An adult follows the interests of a child and responds spontaneously to learning opportunities as they arise.
• Adult-led learning: The adult introduces an experience, idea or concept they have planned. This includes giving instructions, rules and a structure to the learning. These are carefully designed based on the children’s needs and abilities.

Benefits of integrated approaches

Adopting child-directed play, guided play and structured intentional teaching as a combined strategy for supporting the learning, development and wellbeing of children helps early childhood educators ensure:

How do you make decisions about the concepts to introduce children to, when to introduce them and what is important for the children to learn next? Follow these tips to help support children in becoming strong and effective learners:

• Respond – Pay attention to a child’s interests, and actively speak and respond to the child.
• Uninterrupted play – Supervise children in uninterrupted play using age-appropriate toys and resources that give them the opportunity to invent, investigate and discover. Resist the urge to fix or manage everything they try.
• Acknowledge – Help children to feel they can positively contribute to play. Help them know their actions are effective. Every small acknowledgement matters.
• Imagination – We have been raised in a world that often sees learning as the process of getting something right. But learning is about curiosity and the imagination—these are key tools for problem-solving and experimenting. Encourage learning that is filled with imagination and curiosity.
• Failure – Particularly for young children, failure is an essential part of learning. Help them progress through failure and learn from their mistakes.
• Relax – Learning happens naturally when children are relaxed and stress is low. Involve their sense of wonder and interest.
• Self-expression – Learning opportunities are most effective when children can express what they know and understand, and these efforts are recognised.

Remember, learning does not need to be easy. It is important to hold a high expectation for all children and see their potential. However, learning that is overly structured, rigid or stressful does not promote wellbeing and development.

Belonging, Being & Becoming: Pedagogical Practices

Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia outlines pedagogical practices for early childhood educators to promote learning:

• Holistic approaches – Adopt holistic approaches that recognise the connectedness of mind, body and spirit.
• Responsiveness to children – Be responsive to children's strengths, abilities and interests to help motivate learning.
• Learning through play – Use play to plan and implement learning.
• Intentional teaching – Be deliberate, thoughtful and purposeful in teaching,
• Learning environments – Create welcoming spaces for learning that enrich the lives and identities of all children.
• Cultural competence – Respect multicultural ways of knowing, seeing and living through cultural competence. Celebrate and explore the various cultures in the services community.
• Continuity of learning and transition – Prepare for and manage transitions to help children feel secure and confident in their learning.
• Assessment for learning – Maintain an ongoing cycle of gathering and analysing information about what a child knows, can do and understands.

It is vital for all educators to consider how they implement the pedagogical practices in their teaching, and make time and space to reflect children’s strengths and areas for improvement to ensure the children are always being supported in their learning and wellbeing journey.

To read the Early Years Learning Framework in full, visit ACECQA’s website.

Intentional teaching

You have likely experienced learning that happened despite difficult or less than ideal circumstances.

Intentional teaching is the use of specific strategies that promote positive learning through social interactions and conversations to engage children in thinking and problem-solving.

Intentional teaching involves:

• Fostering high-level thinking skills
• Modelling and demonstrating through questioning, speculating and engaging
• Moving in and out of different roles that serve the learning in different contexts
• Documenting and monitoring a child's learning.

WATCH

Watch the following 12-minute video, published by the ECA Learning Hub, in which early childhood educator Judy Radich discusses intentional teaching:

WATCH

Watch the following 4-minute video to learn about extending children's ideas:

Check your understanding

Teamwork is essential to nurturing the development and wellbeing of children at a service. Collaboration, respectful communication and open information sharing are part of great teamwork.

Working together

Early childhood services rely on teams of early childhood educators working collaboratively together to effectively support children and families—and each other! No one person is going to be perfect every day. Great teamwork helps to reduce errors, ensure safety and maximise quality care and education.

The NQS Quality Area 4 (Staffing arrangements) highlights key standards related to management, educators and staff at services working together in a collaborative, respectful and ethical way.

Daily teamwork practices

Early childhood services must work as a team to ensure the implementation of quality education and care to children and their families. Every room is managed and run by a team that collaborates to provide equal opportunities to all children. Great teamwork directly contributes to positive outcomes for children and greater connection with families in addition to greater job satisfaction for early childhood educators.

Use the following list of good teamwork practices to review your list of teamwork practices and add to or affirm what is on it:

• Engage in active listening when communicating with colleagues.
• Actively listen to colleagues with a purpose of understanding their view.
• Share information and resources.
• Work together to collaborate on problem-solving.
• Recognise when a colleague is stressed and help them to reduce that stress.
• Resolve personal conflict positively.
• Act promptly to support each other during difficult situations.
• Work together to scan and monitor busy play spaces (e.g. outdoors).
• Collaborate in reviewing each other’s use of pedagogical principles and practices.
• Support each other to reflect on interactions and relationships with children without judgment.
• Contribute new and innovative ideas and approaches.
• Uphold the consistent use of policies and procedures.
• Engage in collaborative reflection on what is working, what isn’t working and what can be improved on.

Effective teamwork development

Teamwork is something learned over time and through experience. Just as you would help the children in your care learn from mistakes and challenges, it is good to give yourself permission to do the same. Be responsible for your feelings and do not project them onto others. Stay open to ideas and experiences of your teammates and share your own too. Always know and follow the service’s policies and procedures.

Check your understanding

Consider the following scenarios and select the correct response for each:

Use the following questions to check your knowledge. You can check the correct answer by clicking on the 'Answer' button:

1. Identify three (3) different transitions children go through. 

   Answer

   • Transition to care
   • Transition through routines
   • Transition to school

2. What are the safety considerations when picking up a baby or toddler?

   Answer

   • Never lift a baby or toddler by picking them up by the hands, arms or legs. This is also true if you’re holding a child’s hand and they drop to the floor – do not pull them along. Spinning, flipping or dangling little ones can seem like fun play but should be avoided as they can easily result in accidents.
   • Do not hold a baby in one arm and a hot drink (or another item) in the other.
   • Do not hold a baby around the waist only.
   • Do not hold a baby so their head is in your shoulder. Instead, ensure their head is over your shoulder to ensure their airways are unobstructed. Avoid carrying a toddler on your hip. This can cause spinal soreness for you. Keep them at the front of your body as much as possible.

3. In your own words, define the following terms:

   • Intentional teaching
   • Child-initiated play
   • Adult-initiated learning
   Answer

   • Intentional teaching - involves educators being deliberate, purposeful and thoughtful in their decisions and action. Intentional teaching is the opposite of teaching by rote or continuing with traditions simply because things have ‘always’ been done that way
   • Child-initiated play - Play that is directed through a child’s ideas and thoughts
   • Adult-initiated learning – Play that is directed through an educators ideas or thoughts

4. Why teamwork is important in caring for and supporting a child’s care needs and development?

   Answer

   • Benefits to the child: consistency between home routine and the routine at the service, child’s needs will be met due to collaboration between family and educators.
   • Benefits for families: stronger trust in educators, supports child’s development better which is beneficial for families
   • Benefits for educators: child will be able to settle into routine at daycare easier due to consistency and because the child’s needs are better met, first-hand information about the child