Care and caring are key to early childhood education and yet love can be viewed as a taboo word within early childhood settings. This book guides practitioners through the potentially problematic area of loving the children they care for. It shows where a loving pedagogy can fit within professional practice and how this can enrich experiences for children and educators. The book explores how educators can support their children by holding them in mind, valuing them and promoting their best interests. Focusing on how relationships, attachment and connections underpin our settings and practice, the chapters cover: the fundamentals of professional love appropriate touch in practice the different ways in which children feel loved the rights of the child empowering children through love working with parents and carers. Including case studies and questions for reflection, this is vital reading for practitioners wanting to develop a nurturing and loving pedagogy that places the child at the centre of their practice.

Clearly babies come into the world remarkably receptive to its wonders. Their alertness to sights, sounds, and even abstract concepts makes them inquisitive explorersâ€"and learnersâ€"every waking minute. Well before formal schooling begins, children's early experiences lay the foundations for their later social behavior, emotional regulation, and literacy. Yet, for a variety of reasons, far too little attention is given to the quality of these crucial years. Outmoded theories, outdated facts, and undersized budgets all play a part in the uneven quality of early childhood programs throughout our country. What will it take to provide better early education and care for our children between the ages of two and five? Eager to Learn explores this crucial question, synthesizing the newest research findings on how young children learn and the impact of early learning. Key discoveries in how young children learn are reviewed in language accessible to parents as well as educators: findings about the interplay of biology and environment, variations in learning among individuals and children from different social and economic groups, and the importance of health, safety, nutrition and interpersonal warmth to early learning. Perhaps most significant, the book documents how very early in life learning really begins. Valuable conclusions and recommendations are presented in the areas of the teacher-child relationship, the organization and content of curriculum, meeting the needs of those children most at risk of school failure, teacher preparation, assessment of teaching and learning, and more. The book discusses: Evidence for competing theories, models, and approaches in the field and a hard look at some day-to-day practices and activities generally used in preschool. The role of the teacher, the importance of peer interactions, and other relationships in the child's life. Learning needs of minority children, children with disabilities, and other special groups. Approaches to assessing young children's learning for the purposes of policy decisions, diagnosis of educational difficulties, and instructional planning. Preparation and continuing development of teachers. Eager to Learn presents a comprehensive, coherent picture of early childhood learning, along with a clear path toward improving this important stage of life for all children.

What does it mean to adopt a loving pedagogy within early childhood? Have you ever wondered what terms like attunement really mean? Loving Pedagogy Explained highlights the importance of developing a loving pedagogy and explains key terms used within this approach. Unpicking terms like advocacy, attachment, attunement, belonging, compassion, emotion coaching, empathy and empowerment, this book uses practical examples and case studies to explain what it means in practice when we adopt this approach. It also considers how we might adopt a loving pedagogy in relation to our policies, describing this ethos in more detail. Divided into two parts, the first provides a brief overview of the key terms used when describing a loving pedagogy alongside examples of what they mean in practice. Part two looks more broadly at the ethos of early childhood settings and unpicks various aspects of a loving pedagogy, including: how to write a loving pedagogy policy, how a loving pedagogy links to supporting behaviour, how we can nurture our children through developing a loving pedagogy and staff training and development. Part of the Key Concepts in Early Childhood Series, this is essential reading for early years practitioners and students who want to know and understand the importance of adopting a loving pedagogy within early childhood.

This book is about how children can learn to understand themselves and their own internal motivators to make the challenging process of becoming a musician a joyful journey. If we can teach children to engage in learning music in ways that work for them, we will have given them one of the most powerful assets of all: self-knowledge.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

This insightful book shows how prioritising loving relationships in the primary school between practitioners and children helps secure children’s emotional well-being, improves behaviour and leads to more successful learning. It identifies the fundamental values that underpin effective learning encounters and provides the practical tools and language to realise deep connections with children. Combining theory with personal experience the authors present relationship-based practice as a robust and credible pedagogic approach to teaching and learning. The book offers unique features such as ‘Shared language’ to support and promote a rich, meaningful dialogue and ‘The lens of the authors’ offers practical and realistic contexts to help teachers apply theory and ideas from personal experience. Giving educators the confidence to teach with the relational qualities of love, trust, respect, and empathy, this is essential reading for all teachers wanting to develop authentic relationships with the children they care for.

Have you ever wondered why children behave the way they do or why they can become overwhelmed with emotions so quickly? This practical resource has been created to help educators effectively support their children’s behaviour and better understand their emotions. The book focuses on the idea that all behaviour is a form of communication and explores central areas such as self-regulation and attachment, offering strategies that can be used to support challenging behaviour. Each chapter includes examples of practice, reflective questions and an activity for the reader to help consolidate their learning and encourage them to become ‘behaviour detectives’. Key topics discussed include: • Attachment theory, adverse childhood experiences and the importance of feeling safe and secure in the home and setting. • Characteristics of children during conflict situations or moments of challenging behaviour. • Developmentally appropriate expectations for children, and why it is vital that expectations are realistic. • Emotion coaching and the significance of acknowledging and validating feelings. • Linking behaviour with schematic play. Written from first-hand experience and filled with practical advice as well as recommendations for further reading and resources, Supporting Behaviour and Emotions in the Early Years is an essential read for early years educators.

This accessible text encourages readers to understand and confidently engage with distinctive early years pedagogy. It shows how pedagogy not only underpins the early years curriculum but is also inherent in the role of the adult and the experiences that are offered to young children. The book explains what the differing early years pedagogies are, why they are encouraged, and the knowledge, skills, and practice that are required to work with them. Emphasising that what works in one situation may not in another and a wider pedagogical knowledge is essential to ensure quality outcomes for children, it considers key topics such as: the role of the pedagogue and developing your own style promoting a lifelong love of learning in children under your care sensitivity and inclusion for all children's cultures and communities promoting the rights of every child under your care. Incorporating reflection points and research tasks to support independent learning, this is essential reading for students on Early Childhood Studies courses and Early Years Foundation Degrees as well as early years practitioners.

In this unique and original book, Jamel Carly Campbell and Sonia Mainstone-Cotton come together to have an open and honest conversation about developing positive and responsive relationships in the early years. The book is divided into three main chapters – building positive relationships with children; with other professionals; and with families and the wider community – and each conversation explores a range of key themes, from building trust and listening to the voice of the child, to diversifying practice and creating a setting that represents the wider community. These discussions encourage the reader to consider the connections we make every day, to rethink and empower their practice, and to place a much higher value on their position as an early years advocate. With reflective questions included to allow the reader to think about their own practice, as well as suggested further reading to explore the themes in more depth, this engaging and accessible book is a must-read for all early years professionals – and, importantly, encourages every practitioner to begin new conversations of their own.

If ever there was a time for love and nurture it is now. Love and Nurture approaches are intertwined and impossible to focus on in isolation. This practical book for Early Years students and practitioners includes real-life case studies and practical examples alongside academic underpinning and essential theory. It supports students to understand and explore the need for and importance of Love and Nurture in early years practice. The book focuses on key child developmental factors including brain development, attachment awareness, love languages and nurturing touch, the science of nurture, the theory of love and nurture and building relational practice.