Child’s Heart and Mind

Early childhood teachers everywhere are faced with the choice—to theme or not to theme? Themes are like worksheets; they represent a program model. I admit I used themes when I began my career in early childhood education.  I thought that the theme of the week that I had chosen had to represented and visible in all areas of the classroom. Fundamentally this practice was very short sighted on a number of levels. The greatest issue that I now see, in retrospect, is that themes are teacher directed and teacher owned.  Such a practice can lead to greatly restricting a child’s creativity and individuality. 

In this episode we reflect on the connection between infants/toddlers social emotion development and their cognitive development. 

Teachers are going to through a lot right now. There may be more stress existing in the early childhood field than has ever been felt. In this episode, we reflect on what teachers are going through and what means for our field going forward. 

As early  childhood educators, we know that play is an important part of children's development. We also know that it is important to set up an environment that is conducive to that development. The remaining question is what is our role while the children are engaged in play? 

Addressing challenging behaviors is about more than the behaviors of the children. As effective educators, we must look at the big picture. In this episode, we look at what makes up the 'big picture' using a culturally sensitive lens. 

What does Anti-bias education in early childhood look like? In this episode my friend Jenna and I reflect on a very worthwhile movie entitled, Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years.

Check out the movie yourself at this link: https://www.antibiasleadersece.com/the-film-reflecting-on-anti-bias-education-in-action/

For this podcast, I am reviewing an article entitled “A Honeycomb Hypothesis by Sandra Duncan. This article can be found in the January/February issue of Exchange magazine. 

At the heart of the article is a look at schemas and how children through natural guided experiences. 

(There was a glitch in the recording. This episode is only about 25 mins.)

Children can struggle with big emotions that they can’t control. This lack of control can lead to tantrums and outbursts. This is called emotional dysregulation. The good news is that there are lots of calming techniques that assist children work these emotions in a way that leads to growth. 

https://childmind.org/article/how-to-help-children-calm-down/

One does mindfulness mean to someone who hasn't developed language yet. Why is so important to practice mindful behavior from when children are very young? 

http://www.momentsaday.com/how-to-practice-mindfulness-with-a-baby/

https://www.childcareexchange.com/catalog/product/mindful-touch-with-infants/8252331/

How does teaching and respect go together. Why is respect something not only adults have right to expect?