In Playing-2-gether the focus lies on strengthening the relationship between you as a teacher and preschoolers in your classroom. Playing-2-gether is built on attachment theory. Click here if you want to know more about attachment theory.
How can you work on a warm and non-conflictuous teacher-child relationship?
First and for all, during Playing-2-gether you practice teacher sensitivity. During free play, you follow the child’s lead.
1. With teacher sensitivity we mean that teachers notice signals of preschoolers and react to them appropriately. Teachers who cultivate sensitivity can create qualitative relationships with children more easily. The development of teacher sensitivity is one of the main objectives of Playing-2-gether, because this way you make clear that you accept the preschoolers as they are.
Being sensitive means that you try to find out the feelings and needs of the child and subsequently take them into account. You try to put yourself in their position. Being sensitive is something you can express in different ways. Some examples:
– you show appreciation for the child (“I am really happy that you want to play with me”)
– you put the child’s feelings and needs into words (“you like to play with a jig-saw puzzle”)
– you listen to the child and give free rein when they want to tell you something
– you take into account the child’s situation
As a teacher, you need to juggle sensitivity for the needs of individual children and sensitivity for the needs of the class group. In Playing-2-gether we focus on teacher sensitivity for the needs of individual children. If you want to know more about sensitivity for the needs of the class group, click here
2. With following the child’s lead we mean that the child can decide what game will be played during Playing-2-gether. By following the child, you show that you are open to and support the child’s choices.
Furthermore, you can integrate the following Playing-2-gether skills in your interaction with children: observing, verbally describing the behavior, describing the behavior non-verbally (=imitating), labeling feelings and experiences and finally taking into account the relational needs of the child.
Attention: it is important that the Playing-2-gether skills are implemented in a natural way. Do not force yourself. A spontaneous and relaxed time together is more important than the strict execution of the skills. Want to know more about the organisation of Playing-2-gether? Click on this link.