BEST PRACTICE
Alison Heseltine, early years development officer at the Alliance, explains why children’s emotional wellbeing is so crucial in the early years
Emotional wellbeing is key to improving children’s potential outcomes later in life. But it is also vital now – not just for their future success. They need a safe, loving, nurturing environment where they can learn about and express their feelings.
Before children can start learning about the world around them, they need to have had an opportunity to nurture their emotional wellbeing.
In 2022, 18% of children aged between seven- and 16-years-old had a probable mental health disorder, according to the latest NHS statistics. We know that when children are struggling with these difficulties it can impact their ability to learn as these overwhelming emotions fill their thoughts.
Problems such as stress and anxiety can trigger the release of response hormones such as cortisol, as a survival mechanism. If this occurs over long periods of time it can adversely affect the brain, at a time when children’s brains are growing the most. Whether it is for the short or long term, children will not be in the right place to develop their learning and thinking until they can switch off their fight, flight or freeze response.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’, which maps the importance of different needs: physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs and selfactualisation needs. As well as needing to be physically safe, children also need positive relationships in order to learn and develop.
So how can we, as early years educators, help children to stay emotionally healthy?
Here are some ideas to try at your provision:
Be proactive – Make children’s emotional wellbeing just as important as their physical wellbeing. Give them the experiences and tools they need. You know the children, so ask yourself if there are signs that something is wrong – are they struggling to sleep? Do they want to join in with things they usually enjoy?
Recognise children as unique individuals – Children have their own temperament, thoughts and feelings. Acknowledge that this means they will all respond differently to the same situation and that this is okay.
Help them build relationships – Listen to what they say, notice what they do and value their contributions without judgment to boost their self-esteem. Find the time and space to do this when there are no other distractions.
Be enthusiastic about their interests – Give them space for opportunities to explore these. This could be a trip to the library to find a book about dinosaurs or stopping on a walk to share with them the smallest of things that they have spotted. This shows them that what they do and think matters to you.
Be realistic – Acknowledge that children are still growing and learning. Notice the times that they are struggling and show empathy to them as you help them to recognise, name and understand their emotions. Be a good role model and show them how to deal with these in a positive way.
Give opportunities to work as a team – Tasks that they can help with – such as sorting or picking up toys – offer a chance to notice and praise their efforts. This will help them to see themselves as important members of the setting or community. Helping others will also help them to feel good about themselves.
Establish routines – Regular sleep and mealtimes will help children to stay fit and healthy. It’s much harder to be resilient when you’re tired or hungry. Make time for exercise too, as keeping active boosts emotional wellbeing.
Be optimistic – Show children that things can change and get better.
Get outdoors – Blow away the cobwebs with a walk to the park or splash in a puddle. Share the joy of these moments together.
Talk to parents – Ensure that they too understand the importance of a child’s emotional wellbeing and what they can do to support this.
Don’t forget that in order to help support children’s emotional wellbeing, you need to think about yourself too. We all encounter times when life is difficult and overwhelming. Acknowledging our own wellbeing and reaching out for help when it’s needed means that we are all in a better place to care for and support the children in our provision.
Supporting children’s emotional wellbeing
14 & 16 February, 9.30am - 11.30am
Join us for this Virtual Classroom session on children’s emotional wellbeing and development.
Special offer – book now for 30% off, that’s £24.50 for Alliance members or £35 for non-members. Find out more and book your space here.