I have been thinking about classrooms and early learning centers. So many kiddos spend a lot of time in this setting. At the same time, teachers and policy makers are talking about kindergarten readiness. So here is the question: what can we do to improve learning for our little ones? What I think of, in response to ‘kindergarten readiness’, is NOT knowing the alphabet or memorizing the names of colors. Being really ready for kindergarten means that a child has some sense of how to self-regulate, is able to communicate needs, and to be independent in some tasks.
These things all become possible when we are connected with our students.
As Patty Wipfler writes in the Hand in Hand Parenting course Building Emotional Understanding, “Children’s brains don’t come fully developed. They are wired to develop their intelligence IN RELATIONSHIP with their parents and caring adults.” How can we create connection in the classroom, to support children’s intelligence?
As a parent, I use the tool special time, a dedicated, proscribed time period, decided in advance, where I provide extra warmth and eye contact, and try to promote laughter, without tickling. This tool really is so effective to build a strong feeling of safety and connection with my child. In the classroom, we don’t always have time to give that one on one focus. Instead, a few moments of focus, when we can delight in a child and let the child take the lead can serve to create more warmth and connection.
Every day, I see teachers:
- Responding to our students in a way that shows the care that we feel
- Listening to upsets
- Setting limits with warmth
- Avoiding harshness
These connected behaviors make such a difference. The list above is just to get us started- I would love to hear what works in the classrooms in your community. Please use the comments section to share your ideas.
A quote from one of my favorite books and something I try to remember:
“A culture versed in the workings of emotional life would encourage and promote the activities that sustain health—togetherness with one’s partner and children; homes, families, and communities of connectedness. Such a society would guide its inhabitants to the joy that can be found at the heart of attachment…The contrast between that culture and our own could not be more evident.” A General Theory of Love, Thomas Lewis, M.D., Fari Amini, M.D., Richard Lannon, M.D., page 209