The Feeling Child ― Laying the Foundations of Confidence and Resilience

What impact does children’s emotional development and well-being have on their capacity to learn? How do you provide learning experiences that meet the developmental needs of every child in your care?

The Feeling Child thoughtfully discusses the key principles of children’s emotional and behavioural development alongside descriptions of everyday practice. It clearly explains how a child’s early experiences influence their particular behaviours towards different people and different situations.

Throughout the book, Maria Robinson considers the key characteristics of effective learning and shows how play is one of the key mechanisms that children use in their discovery of themselves and the world around them. These characteristics are then applied to integral aspects of early years practice to help practitioners to:

• support children to come to new understandings in safe yet challenging ways
• understand the ways in which children may approach or withdraw from learning opportunities
• reflect on their own teaching methods to encourage children’s engagement, motivation and creativity through effective observation and planning
• engage with parents and carers to help support children’s learning at home whilst maintaining the values of the family.
• celebrate the uniqueness of each child and provide learning experiences that are appropriate for individuals with particular learning needs, be they physical, emotional or cognitive to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Emphasising the importance of understanding the theory that underpins children’s emotional development, this accessible text shows practitioners how they can use this knowledge to provide learning opportunities that nourish children’s thinking and creative skills.

Maria Robinson is a lecturer, counsellor, trainer and adviser in early years development, with a total of 20 years’ experience including working originally as a health visitor and subsequently as a tutor in further and higher education. She currently works independently, offering training and workshops to a wide range of professionals such as early years practitioners, social workers, trainee and qualified teachers in both mainstream and additional support needs education. Her particular areas of interest are the emotional development of children, attachment, brain development and links between all aspects of development and the use of observations.