Building Relationships

Building Relationships

12 October 2020

Relationships at Nurtured at Home take place within the home and with low ratios of only four preschool children in care at any one time, means strong relationships are formed over time between an Educator, child and family/whānau.

Building reciprocal and responsive relationships helps infants, toddlers and young children to develop a sense of security and competence. By building these relationships, kaiako can contribute to constructing meaning with and between infants and toddlers. Kaiako can do this by listening and watching and being alert to all forms of communication, such as vocalisation, their facial expressions, gestures and body movements. When kaiako are in tune with their children’s cues, children feel secure and settled and know that they will be listened to and cared for. By doing this, a ‘secure base’ will be formed giving children the trust and confidence to explore and learn about the world around them, knowing that their ‘secure base’ will always be there for guidance or support if needed.

According to Bowlby (1988) he sees the ‘secure base’ as a key element in the concept of caregiving and refers to the provision of a secure base by caregivers from which the child can venture out into the world and to which the child can return.

Building a secure attachment with children in your care can be achieved by sharing love and respectful care routines or ‘moments’. These care moments can be things such as; eye contact and positive facial expressions during children’s feed, sleep and nappy change times, being there for children when they hurt themselves by giving cuddles and reassurance, and through everyday playful moments.

 

“Ngā Hononga- The Māori child exists within a society of extensive relationships, and has the right to know, contribute positively to,

and benefit from those relationships”.

 

Information throughout this blog has been received from: myece.org.nz, education.govt.nz, and hekupu.ac.nz