Birth to three matters - Communities and Local Government
Birth to three matters - Communities and Local Government
Birth to three matters - Communities and Local Government
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a base of secure relationships with parents<strong>and</strong> key persons. The beginnings ofau<strong>to</strong>nomy can be seen in the relationshipswhich exist as babies <strong>and</strong> young childrenplay <strong>and</strong> explore in the context of a close,attentive <strong>and</strong> emotionally present adult.In order <strong>to</strong> become strong, the baby needsa nurturing environment in which theirkey person plays an essential role.By encouraging <strong>and</strong> supporting decisionmaking,empathising <strong>and</strong> providingopportunities for children,the key personhelps them grow emotionally <strong>and</strong> respond<strong>to</strong> successes <strong>and</strong> challenges. In theFramework, A Strong Child explores theways in which both the significant adults<strong>and</strong> the physical environment have animpact upon children's developing senseof themselves <strong>and</strong> their group identity,their affective world <strong>and</strong> theirrelationships with others.The fourth chapter provides researchinformation <strong>and</strong> ideas about the baby<strong>and</strong> child as A Skilful Communica<strong>to</strong>r.This includes:- being a sociable <strong>and</strong>effective communica<strong>to</strong>r; listening <strong>and</strong>responding appropriately <strong>to</strong> the languageof others;<strong>and</strong> making meaning.To become skilful communica<strong>to</strong>rs babies<strong>and</strong> children need <strong>to</strong> be <strong>to</strong>gether with akey person <strong>and</strong> with others in a warm <strong>and</strong>loving relationship. Being <strong>to</strong>gether leads <strong>to</strong>the wider development of social relationswhich include friendship, empathy, sharingemotions <strong>and</strong> experiences <strong>and</strong> becominga competent language user. Early attemptsat finding a voice are rewarded in a varietyof ways, thus increasing babies’ <strong>and</strong> youngchildren’s confidence <strong>and</strong> encouragingthem <strong>to</strong> extend their range <strong>and</strong> increasetheir skills. Part of that, but by no meansall,is simply learning <strong>to</strong> make sense of thesounds around them. This is not a simpletask,as they have <strong>to</strong> begin <strong>to</strong> distinguishbetween the sounds of the language,including in<strong>to</strong>nation patterns <strong>and</strong> widerenvironmental sounds. From as early asseven months, a baby responds differently<strong>to</strong> some sounds over others <strong>and</strong> is able<strong>to</strong> distinguish sound patterns. Babies usetheir voices <strong>to</strong> make contact, let peopleknow what they need <strong>and</strong> how they feel.They are also starting <strong>to</strong> learn about‘conversation’. This requires the ability<strong>to</strong> listen <strong>and</strong> respond appropriately,underst<strong>and</strong>ing the importance of payingattention <strong>to</strong> sounds <strong>and</strong> language,interpreting non-verbal signals, imitating,repeating <strong>and</strong> mirroring others. Babies<strong>and</strong> young children also learn the ‘rules’of communication through makingmeaning with their key person <strong>and</strong> withother supportive adults <strong>and</strong> older childrenin relationships in which their earlyattempts <strong>to</strong> converse are interpreted,responded <strong>to</strong> <strong>and</strong> valued.In the chapter A Competent Learner,making connections (for example, throughthe senses) <strong>and</strong> developing the ability<strong>to</strong> compare, categorise <strong>and</strong> classify; beingimaginative <strong>and</strong> creative; <strong>and</strong> being able<strong>to</strong> use symbols <strong>to</strong> represent thoughts <strong>and</strong>language are the foci. Babies only a fewhours old gaze at patterns which resemblethe human face in preference <strong>to</strong> r<strong>and</strong>ompatterns.This shows that they are able <strong>to</strong>20 EDUCATION ANDSKILLS B I RT H T O T H R E E M AT T E R S