Mini Module 4:
Feeling, Thinking and Doing Go Hand in Hand
By Lenore Rubin Ph.D.
What are babies learning as they gaze at your face, nurse or suck
on a bottle, and gently drift off to sleep?
As a caregiver of infants, it is hard to imagine those tiny babies
are beginning their education. Recent studies of connections between
infant experiences and later development help us understand that
learning starts in infancy and that important developmental groundwork
takes place during those early years. For example, when an infant
is hungry, cries, and is fed, important messages are conveyed. The
infant feels comforted as their feelings of hunger disappear. The
infant also begins to know that their cry brings help and comfort.
Soon they will stop crying when they hear a caregiver's voice reassuring
them that food is on its way. Babies who are reliably nurtured begin
to develop an inner way to understand experience. Loving, attentive
care helps infants establish good feelings about themselves. From
these positive feelings and a regular pattern of nurturing care,
the infant also begins to develop a sense of regularity and an understanding
of patterns, which leads to a later ability to understand cause
and effect. The groundwork for self-regulation begins with reliable
nurturing care.
What is self-regulation and why is it important? Self-regulation
refers to a person's ability to manage themselves with regard to
feelings, behavior, and the ability to pay attention. One can think
of it as a child having an internal thermometer that they are able
to regulate as needed. Capacity for self-regulation is important
because it allows children to focus on learning cognitive as well
as social-emotional skills. A child who is overwhelmed with feelings
cannot control their behavior or focus on learning new information.
Relationships are the most powerful teaching tool for developing
self-regulation. If we think again about infants, reliable nurturing
allows them to begin to organize their inside experience. They can
nurture themselves as they have been nurtured. When frustration
occurs, (for example, delayed feeding), they can self-regulate and
thus cope with the delay.
Language is also important in helping children develop their ability
to self-regulate. Children are able to understand spoken language
before they can express themselves with words, so they may not be
able to use language effectively to talk to themselves. This “self-talk”
helps children when feelings are strong and interfere with their
capacity for self-regulation. For example, sometimes toddlers with
aggressive behaviors will become less aggressive when their language
skills increase. They can communicate better with others and also
use "self-talk" to further their self-regulation. A child
may resist the impulse to grab a toy from a friend because they
can remind themselves that grabbing is not a good idea. If they
have been lovingly cared for and the words they have heard about
themselves have been positive they are more likely to use positive
“self-talk” and more likely to develop the self-regulation
skills required for playing with friends and mastering new information.
Cognitive readiness to learn cannot be separated from social emotional
readiness. If we were to think about the kinds of skills that allow
for success in school, we would be talking about good self-regulation
skills. Kindergarten children must be able to control themselves
adequately so that they can follow class routines and manage with
their peers. They must understand routines and have a basic understanding
of causal relationships. The ability to pay attention and to tolerate
some frustration is also an important component of school success.
These school readiness skills are much harder to achieve and much
more important than learning the ABC's or how to stand in line.
So the next time you play peek-a-boo with an infant or have a pretend
meal with a toddler, remember that you are helping lay the groundwork
for their later development and school success.
Lenore Rubin Ph.D. is a therapist and consultant to child care
programs for the Seattle & King County Public Health Departments
Child Care Health Team. You can e-mail Lenore directly at lenore.rubin@metrokc.gov.
To contact the Child Care Health team call: (206) 296-2770
Now take this short true/false quiz on the material you
just read:
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