Thread by @suzannezeedyk

Today I spoke w/ @hackneycouncil Early Years Staff about how to help young children self-regulate. I did that by sharing w/ them what settings have been doing over Covid. A brief THREAD to share this info more widely.

2. @PitteucharE, led by @JKnussen, have been sure to use the language of 'distressed behaviour', rather than the conventional language of 'challenging behaviour'. Simple change. Free. No forms required to be completed. 🙂

3. And LOOK at the difference it makes - simply telling the story of what one school @PitteucharE is doing to support children's emotions. This is the feedback from attendees in London. "So simple, but I can see how transformative it could be for staff and for children."

4. Here's Angels & Co Nursery in Aberdeen. They paid attention to partings. The adaptations made to Drop Off procedures during Covid hv stressed childrn. And parents. I know we think we needed to do ths. But we should not DENY to ourselves the distress this has caused families.

5. The scene in that last tweet comes frm a set of video resources my team at @connectedbaby made for Early Years Teams. Those videos look closely at childrn's experiences of parting &reunions. They are intended for training &CPD sessions. Here's the link. connectedbaby.net/product/tigers…

5. Here's @LullabyLaneWest . They have built yoga into the daily rhythm of their nursery. Led by @AshMcCann1, they've learned how daily practice helps the children to be aware of their own bodies. It makes you ask: Why is such practice still relatively uncommon in Early Years?

6. In fact, the @TIGERSEYAcad came to feel so strongly about the importance of body-awareness for young children that they created the 'Calming Tigers' service. It helps other early years teams to think about what they can do to embed it in practice.

7. And for the older ones? The children leaving their EY setting? @LullabyLaneMiln did something edgy during Covid. They did NOT cancel their Leaving Ceremony, as was so common. They held it anyway, Covid-safe, because they had learned how much transition rituals matter.

8. I believe it was hearing real-life stories of courage that led to feedback like this: "I reflected on how much t world around us has an impact on our childrn." YES. Many of our children left beloved EY carers in t summer without being able to say good-bye. That's grief.

9. And finally, what else can we do to support childrn's self-regulatory capacities? MAKE SURE THE ADULTS are helped to self-regulate. You can't pour from an empty vessel. START WITH ADULTS' NEEDS. Childrn's 'bad behaviour' is often a result of tired, overwhelmed, grumpy adults.

10/end. I hope t teams I hv talked abt can see their impact. There are so many other ideas&settings I didn't hv time to mention. And right now I need to get back to t Conf to hear t fab @MineEYMind speak. So I'll leave you w/ her superb book.
Thanks for #FierceCuriosity, folks.