When thinking about your child’s development, it’s very easy to focus on the traditional aspects of ‘learning’; the environment, equipment and activities of the nursery. But just as important in the very early years is to meet the more basic needs of your child, through basic activities such as nappy changing and other personal care routines.
At the heart of this is the key person relationship, which should be your child’s closest attachment whilst at nursery. The key person’s role is to keep your child’s routines as consistent as possible and to identify the right times to undertake care routines; which provides a sense of security and reassurance, and ensures such intimate care routines are a happy and enjoyable experience.
In light of this, we should think of care routines as part of a child’s learning; at The Wendy House we use these times to interact with the children, to sing songs and make them part of the overall learning experience; after all, the basics of looking after oneself are essential in later life.
Wellbeing is essential to a good start in life, and care routines are a fundamental part of this; children learn best when they feel happy and secure, and we believe that getting the basics right can only help to provide a secure foundation for the development of the curriculum.
Inspired by Nursery World
