Getting in at the roots

I have been learning all about an early years activity called Circle Time - the objective is to get children talking to each other.

Through short, fun, activities in which we all sit in a circle and have something to talk about, helps to develop all kinds of attributes in the children for example, we can start to discuss emotions and feelings for example, we can take in another object like a teddy or a doll, and we can use the object to discuss things that may be going on.

In order for children to develop into successful adults this lesser depends on their IQ and more on their ability to socialise and communicate, empathise etc.

Empathise you may say, as a friend of mine said to me, he said 'empathy is something you are either born with or your not', not sure if anyone agrees with that, in my opinion empathy is something that is learned through experience, by already experiencing something we gain insight into having these feelings ourselves therefore when someone else expresses what we have been through we can feel for them, therefore we become empathy.

Let me start at the beginning!

In order to become optimally functioning adults we all need to have well developed Social, Emotional and Behavioural skills, Self awareness, Empathy, a way to manage ones own emotions, social skills and motivation - Circle time can help with every aspect of this, and is so simple to implement i think its fascinating and fantastic the things that are being brought into place in nurserys now, and am glad to be a part of it.

In my next blog i will go into more detail about each of the Social, Emotional and Behavioural skills, and how we can foster and nuture these fundamental aspects of personality with our young.