Know

Think of the many experiences you have had that influence your life. You may have family traditions, customs, beliefs, and values that you developed growing up. Some families share cultural traditions that center on religion, holidays, or other beliefs. These traditions might be attending worship services, playing cultural games, gathering for specific events, or following a set of behaviors that adhere to one’s belief system. There are other factors beyond culture and religion that can be included when thinking about experiences that influence children. Perhaps a family prioritizes spending time in nature and takes their children camping and hiking. Athletics, political beliefs, and occupations are often woven through families and children’s experiences. For example, many families have long legacies of military service, teaching, or being fans of a particular sports team. What experiences from your childhood have influenced your identity?

Experiences and Activities that Promote Infant and Toddler Sense of Self

As an infant and toddler caregiver, take time to observe young children and recognize moments of joy, surprise, wonder, and learning. Observing infants and toddlers and reflecting on those observations can help you continue to promote secure and caring relationships, as well as an understanding of and appreciation for the growth and development of each infant and toddler in your care. The thinking of infants and toddlers changes as they grow older and begin to develop an understanding of themselves in relationship to and separate from others. Therefore, observation continues to be an important strategy as you consider interactions and plan experiences and activities to support the developing sense of self for the infants and toddlers in your care.

There are many ways to help the infants and toddlers in your care feel important, understood, confident, and successful. The chart below lists a few. Which of these could you add to or increase in your daily teaching practices?

Strengthening Families

Families are critical partners in your programs. By serving children and families, you have a commitment to respect families and to help each child feel proud of their identities and culture. Recall these family-centered practices that were introduced in the Family Engagement course:

These practices help families feel respected and valued. They also help families gain confidence and a sense of purpose in your program.

Families everywhere go through times when they need help accessing information to help them navigate challenging circumstances, and you may be the person they come to for help! A family member may have a question or concern, and you may be asked to provide information, suggestions, or recommendations about a variety of topics, such as child development, challenging behavior, literacy, in- and out-of-school activities, community connections, healthcare providers, and so forth. Sometimes, you may have answers and sometimes you may have to look for answers. When a family member shares a need or concern with you, always respect their privacy.

Cultural practices deeply influence how adults support children’s development of self. All children develop in the context of their cultural background and their family’s values. It is important that you demonstrate respect for each family and child enrolled in your program even if their customs or beliefs are unfamiliar to you or contrast with your practices, You will need to build relationships with each family to understand their values, beliefs, and circumstances. Likewise, having written policies and program rules posted can assist family members in understanding the caregiving practices their children will encounter in your program. Make sure this information is accessible to all families by making it available in multiple languages and formats.

Demonstrating mutually respectful and trusting relationships for all children and families must always be your goal. Your role is critical to maintaining a warm, responsive environment where children feel safe to develop their sense of self.

Relationships are Essential

As you have learned throughout this course, relationships with important adults are the key to children’s sense of self and their social and emotional well-being, which in turn is the foundation for their long-term success in relationships, school, and beyond. As an infant and toddler caregiver, you have the opportunity to help children learn that the world is safe, other people are good, and they are loved and important. It cannot be overstated how important these initial impressions are to infants and toddlers and their lives thereafter. With that in mind, aim every day to

• Make infants and toddlers feel safe, comfortable, and cared for
• Celebrate their accomplishments
• Show all children respect through the way you talk and interact with them
• Listen to what they say, and respond with interest and appreciation
• Be present and engaged with children in play at their level

Supporting Yourself by Reducing Stress: Taking Care of Yourself while Taking Care of Others

Many of us are accustomed to saying “yes” to everything that is asked of us for fear of appearing weak or uncooperative. Learning how to say “no” is a good skill to cultivate, and it shows you know your limits and are able to prioritize your needs. It is also important that you learn to let go of stress. Here are a few tips:

• Consider keeping a journal. It can be therapeutic to write the day’s events and your perspectives on paper. You might also consider keeping a gratitude journal to help you be mindful about the positive aspects of your life.
• Make connections. Reach out to friends, family, and acquaintances. Go out for lunch or a cup of coffee with a friend. Speak to the person in front of you in line at the grocery store. These small moments can help you feel connected and supported.
• Try to get regular exercise, which can help you feel better, sleep better, and cope better with life’s daily stressors. Healthful eating can make a difference, too.
• Remember to breathe. As we get stressed out, we tend to breathe shallower. By taking a moment to take a few deep breaths we are not only taking time for ourselves but helping to lower our stress levels.

When you see signs of stress in yourself, take action. You will find stress-busting resources in the Apply section. Another aspect of developing a strong self-concept and self-esteem is to learn to use self-care practices. Self-care is choosing to engage in activities required to gain or maintain an optimal level of overall health. This includes not just the physical, but the psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual components of an individual’s well-being.

Self-care practices can bring staff and families together, too. Parents may want to teach a cooking class or help with the program’s garden. Seek out resources in your community to bring self-care practices to your center. You may find some wonderful volunteers who are eager to share their expertise.

Watch as these caregivers describe what they do for self-care and the importance of it in their work.

See

Watch as these caregivers provide experiences and activities that help children develop a positive sense of self. Reflect on the way they respond to challenges children face in their lives, the environment, or the materials, and how these reactions affect infants’ and toddlers’ self-image. In addition, pay attention to the suggestions offered on how to provide support to infants’ and toddlers’ in military families. How could you do these in your own program?

Do

Infants and toddlers experience stress as a normal part of development and learning. Stress can result from different experiences, positive and negative. While you cannot shield all infants and toddlers from stressful experiences, your caring, safe, and predictable relationship with an infant and toddler can help protect them from the effects of stress. Consider the following strategies as you support infants and toddlers experiencing stress:

• Stay close by infants and toddlers, reassure them, and let them know you are watching as they move away and explore.
• Provide simple explanations for stressful experiences using a calm, soothing voice. “You miss your daddy. He is thinking about you and will come after nap and his job is done. Let’s look at his picture together.”
• Let infants and toddlers know when you are leaving and when you are coming back.
• Help infants and toddlers put strong emotions into words.