Making it Happen!: Building Positive Relationships with Children

1. Making it Happen!: Building Positive Relationships with Children Presented by Extension Educator

2. Agenda • The Pyramid Model • Social Emotional Development • Building Responsive Relationships

3. CSEFEL Pyramid Model: Promoting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children Intensive Intervention

4. Definitions, Research, and Rationale

5. CSEFEL Definition of Social Emotional Development The term social emotional development refers to the developing capacity of the child from birth through five years of age to form close and secure adult and peer relationships; experience, regulate, and express emotions in socially and culturally appropriate ways; and explore the environment and learn — all in the context of family, community, and culture.

6. I/T

7. Relationships vs. Interactions Define Interactions Define Relationships How are they different?

8. What is the child doing that tells us she is inviting or participating in a relationship?

10. Three Major Elements of Social Emotional Wellness (Infants/Toddlers) • Forming close and secure relationships (attachment) • Experiencing, expressing, and regulating emotions • Exploring the environment and learning

11. Forming Close and Secure Relationships: Attachment Attachment is a pattern of interaction that develops over time as the infant or toddler and caregiver engage. Chart: How do you promote and support secure attachments with children?

12. I/T

13. Building Positive Relationships With Children Play Home visits Empathy Happy grams Notes home Time & Attention Share Carolyn Webster-Stratton Making deposits into children’s emotional banks.

14. Ideas for Making Deposits • Acknowledge children’s efforts • Find out what a child’s favorite book is and read it • Use descriptive, encouraging comments • Play with children, follow their lead • Let children make “All About Me” books and share them • Give hugs, high fives, and thumbs up upon accomplishments and displaying positive behaviors

15. Building Relationships

16. Activity Building Relationships • Brainstorm things you could do to build or strengthen relationships with the child(ren) in your care. • Share with the large group. • Identify 2-3 things you are going to do to build stronger relationships with the child(ren) in your care.

17. Major Messages The first and most important thing we can do is to build positive relationships with the child(ren) in our care.

18. Major Messages • Promoting social emotional development requires a comprehensive approach that includes building positive relationships by: • Positively interacting with young children • Supporting children’s development of secure attachments • Making deposits into children’s emotional bank.

19. If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves. — Carl Jung, psychiatrist

20. Be the change you wish to see in the world. —Mahatma Ghandi