Whether you're an educator, teacher, or a novice babysitter, you need to always have a clear picture of the situation you're dealing with. Those who work with children have a very important role: their education.
It's no coincidence that years of study are required to access professions related to childhood care, but in addition to theoretical preparation, strong empathy and the right emotional drive are also essential.
Distinguish actions based on the child's age
When we have the first contact with one or more children of the same age, as happens for example in school classes, the difficulty of the approach is less, as we can adopt the same tactics to get the attention of the whole group.
The approach with children of different ages is more difficult, because different ages mean different needs.
The first key word is: a big smile . Children don't like sulking; if you're upset, they'll sense it right away, and being the super-sincere beings they are, they'll be the ones to make things even more difficult for you. The important thing is to smile, speak calmly, and be direct: beating around the bush is a complication they don't need.
Make an effort to listen
When dealing with a group of minors, especially during play activities, the most important thing is to listen . We are the adults, it's true, but they direct the games according to their needs. Consequently, if your audience isn't understood, you will automatically be misunderstood too.
At first, they won't be willing to follow your advice; this is precisely the moment when you'll be the one to listen to theirs. During the game, you accompany and guide them; you're not just a manager: play with them, listen to their thoughts, and engage closely with their ideas.
Reasoning with simple ideas
As previously mentioned, circumlocutions are not appropriate for a group of children, regardless of their age. If we are dealing with children under 3 years old, it makes even less sense to engage in difficult-to -understand conversations.
Children reason with simple ideas and concepts, and we must adopt the same method. After the listening phase, it's time to establish your imprint : they must remember you and your authority , even if it's hidden behind the figure of a "friend."
With simple ideas, it becomes easy to gain respect: NO is NO and YES is YES. The MAYBEs and I DON'T KNOWS put children at an advantage over you: they will consider you an indecisive person and therefore easily influenced.
The child is a being in himself: he is not a miniature adult and does not have the same needs as we do.
Our task is to respect him in his habitat whether it's his home, his school or his playtime. Only in this way can we in turn obtain his compliance and we will surely get a great friend.
Mary DeLuca
