Using Relationships of Support to Nurture the Language of Emotions Barbara Stroud, PhD Using Relationships of Support to Nurture the Language of Emotions

Infant Mental Health What is Infant Mental Health? Successful social-emotional developmental outcomes Prevention & promotion model to target all children How does it apply to Child Care Providers? The importance of nurturing relationships of support Understanding the social-emotional foundations of learning

Relationships Matter Development occurs in the context of a relationship Relationships build the brain structure Relationships teach about emotions and stress recovery Relationships build language skills Relationships build motor, cognitive and social-emotional skills

Significant Relationships for Children Parents (primary caregivers) Child care providers (often children are in care for 6 to 10 hours a day) Extended family Peers & siblings

The professional child care provider A relationship of support that nurtures all development Includes: Brain Development Social-emotional Development Attachment and Relationship Skills Language Development Child Development Expert and resource to parents Why did I refer to the child care provider as an professional because they are. The build the brains and social networks of young children

How do your relationships with child care providers impact children?

Relationships & Language Development What motivates a child to talk or not talk? How do relationships fit in? How does the environment fit in? What can the child care provider do differently to motivate language?

Building Language Create the motivation to communicate Create multiple relationships of support and interest to the child A verbally rich environment and a print rich environment Encourage cross talk among peers and mixed ages

Language based games Using games to build language What mixed age activities support expression and language development? Questions caregivers can use daily to support language development Explore how multi-age family day care homes can use relationships across children to nurture language development How can mixed age group children work to support language development How can care providers encourage discussion and mixed age language development Games that promote language (informal sibling groups/ peer buddies)

The Language of emotion Supporting the development of emotional language Social-emotional skill building supports the development of emotional language How are providers currently including social-emotional content in their daily activities? Examine how interpersonal experiences with caregivers and mixed age peers can be used to build language Natural events as a method to teach emotional language and build social connections – go to CSEFEL Giving words to affect, giving words to experience, using children to predict the affect or words of another. Emotions are the language of relationships. How do I feel and how do people and events effect how I feel. How does the baby feel and how do event impact how the baby feels

Social emotional skills & Language Provide children with the words to define their feelings Use feeling words in daily interactions with children Encourage children to use feeling words with peers Use of feeling words can also support emotional regulation

How are you supporting The Skills of Learning Emotional Language ?

Supporting Special needs The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that 12% -16% of all children have a developmental or behavioral delay Seek to support all children to reach their optimal development Necessary accommodations to support inclusion: Slowing the pacing of instruction or learning Increasing opportunities for repetition Using peer supports

Influences of culture Using Language to build an understanding of Diversity How does Culture play a role in development? How do child care providers’ best honor the cultural variability of the families they serve?

Thank you for your Attention I can be reached via email at: drbarbarastroud@gmail.com Or visit my website: DrBarbaraStroud.com