The HighScope Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers

1. The HighScope Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers Adult-Child Interactions Day 2

2. Objectives • Identify and describe supportive adult-child interactions. • Practice adult-child interaction strategies. • Identify children’s temperaments and strategies to support them.

3. Review • What did you love or impacted you the most? • What took the most to understand? • What do you have further questions about?

4. Recalling Supportive Relationships • Think about the people in your life you enjoy or have enjoyed spending time with. What qualities makes these interactions satisfying? • When you are a “new comer” what made you feel comfortable? • If you were moving to a new city or country, what qualities would you hope to encounter in people you will be in contact with the most?

5. Photos of Supportive Caregivers • With a partner, look through the photographs in Tender Care and Early Learning. • Choose 3 favorite photos. • Discuss what these photos convey about caregivers’ relationships with children in infant and toddler settings. • Share with the whole group.

6. Magda Gerber says: “I don’t believe we know better about being a baby than that baby…I want to learn from them!”

7. Specific Adult Behaviors that Promote Attachment • Read through your assigned behaviors. • While watching this DVD, look for the behaviors you see happening between the caregivers and children. • Discuss as whole group.

8. Create a Climate of Trust for Children • Touch, hold, speak to and play with children in a warm, unhurried manner. • Take pleasure in interactions with children (smiling). • Respond supportively to children’s needs and attention-getting signals (rocking a baby). • Give children time to interact and respond in their own way. • Support children’s relationships with peers and other adults.

9. Form Partnerships with Children • Interact at the child’s physical level. • Respect children’s preferences and individual temperaments. • Follow children’s lead. • Watch and listen to children (including sign language). • Communicate and converse in a give-and-take manner. • Make comments and acknowledgments. • Repeat and restate children’s babbles and words. • Look at children’s actions from their viewpoint. • Give children choices when they have to do something.

10. Support Children’s Intentions • Focus on children’s strengths and interests. • Anticipate children’s explorations. • Encourage and acknowledge children’s choices in exploration and play. • Help children achieve what they set out to do (support their efforts). • Give children time to solve problems they encounter with materials in exploration and play. • Support toddlers in resolving social conflicts.

11. Summary • When we SLOW DOWN, take our time and observe infants and toddlers, we can start creating trustful environments and form partnerships with these children. • We can look at children from their point of view. • This does not come natural-- we have to work at it!

18. Identifying Supportive Adults • Turn to page 30-31. • With a partner, read through the scenarios and choose which caregiver is more supportive. • Discuss as a whole group.

19. 3 Types of Teaching Styles Doesn’t know what to do so ignores situations. Tends to let learning happen on its own. Likes to take control of the situation. Tells children what they need to know. Uses the adult support strategies in situations. Shares control with children and their learning.

20. Situation 1

21. Situation 2

22. Play Stations: Trying Out Supportive Interaction Strategies • Turn to page 32 in TB. With your group, follow the instructions and role-play the strategies. Take turns. • Discuss as a whole group: • What strategies came easier than others? • What strategies did you use the most or least? • What strategies were uncomfortable or will you need to work on?

23. Experiencing Different Temperaments • A sticker has been placed on your back. • For 5 minutes, walk around the room and talk with each other; as many people as possible. • As you mix and mingle, respond to the person you are talking to according to the temperament trait that person is wearing. You are going to interact as adults. • For example, if you encounter a person whose trait is “I hit people,” you might want to keep your distance. Or say things like “I can’t let you hit because it hurts people.” • If you encounter a person whose trait is “I am cheerful or pleasant,” you might choose to spend more time with that person.

24. Group Discussion • How did you feel when people responded to you according to your temperament? • Why is it important to know children’s individual temperaments? • How would children’s individual temperaments affect their interactions with others as well as in conflicts? (Focus on the temperaments in your group) • What are some prevention strategies that would help when dealing with individual temperaments? • What is your own temperament? How does you temperament affect the children you work with?

25. Types of Temperaments Three Types: • Easy/flexible-regular rhythms, positive mood, low intensity, low sensitivity, adaptable. • Fearful-adapt slowly, withdraw easily. • Difficult/feisty-active, intense, distractible, sensitive, irregular, moody.

26. Let’s watch these temperaments!Flexible, Fearful, or Feisty:The Different Temperaments of Infants and Toddlers

27. Supporting Different Temperaments • With your group, think of a children in your room with each of these types of temperaments and brainstorm some ways to support children with your assigned temperament throughout the day. • Flexible or easy • Fearful or cautious • Feisty or challenging • Refer to strategies on page 20 in your TB.

28. Important to Keep in Mind about Temperaments: • It plays a major role in behavior. • Each of us is born with a temperament which lasts throughout life. • It is important to understand our own natural responses to certain temperament traits (e.g., I can’t stand whining!) and how it is affecting our relationship with the a child. • It is easiest to see the extremes. • Can change from day to day and situation to situation. • Children are a mixture of traits. • We can influence how children cope with their own temperament.

29. Reflecting On Your Own Interactions Strategies • Turn to page 20 in your PG. • Individually read through the support strategies and do the following: • Place an S by the strategies that are your strength • Place an W by the strategies that you need to work on implementing with your children. • Share with a partner what your plan is to begin implementing these strategies with your children.

30. Review the Day