By : Eri Akbar Senior Tutor , Early Years Educational Services
By : Eri Akbar Senior Tutor , Early Years Educational Services
Early years practitioners often say they want to make children feel happy when they come to nursery . But what does that look like in practice ?
Before children can begin to learn anything – from reciting letters to counting numbers and absorbing all the lessons that the world has to offer – they first need to feel secure and at home in the nursery . Practitioners have a big role to play in making little ones feel secure and free to be themselves . In other words , for children to be happy .
How do practitioners nurture happy children ? Children first need to develop an emotional attachment to their Key Person in the nursery . They need someone who they can trust , who values them and who celebrates their uniqueness . Research has shown that children who are securely attached achieve better outcomes in their development .
The effort in building secured attachment doesn ’ t stop after a child has settled in . It has to be sustained , even on challenging days when tantrums abound . Practitioners should aim to make a child feel supported in times of conflict , so that the child can return to being happy again .