Children are natural born imitators of life whether it be learning from the adults in their lives; how to interact with others, learning right from wrong, learning what healthy relationships look and feel like, and most importantly, learning what healthy relationship boundaries are. When children can ‘people watch’, they are learning the all-important life skills needed for their growing minds to turn little moments into BIG learning experiences!

Thinking of children as ‘people watchers’ absorbing every little action, facial expression, or interaction we are having all day, every day, can have an influence on their own actions and interactions as they grow into ‘little big people’.

This is where our Mother Duck educators’ communication skills and how they interact with others in children’s learning environments can have an impact on what children see as healthy life skills for healthy relationship building.

There are so many factors that play a role or have an impact that can start not only in the home, but in our learning environments at Mother Duck. Children are watching us, the adults in their lives, all the time, and through this they are learning how to interact with others, and how to build respectful healthy relationships.  

We thought we would unpack some of the intentional questions our educators ask themselves as they interact with children, fellow colleagues and families each day to support children’s learning in the everyday.

Discussing the rituals of our studios and deciding who does what, when and how.

Children are watching how we delegate for sure, but they are also watching how we respond to another person giving us instruction. With these simple interactions, educators are showing children:

• How their tone of voice demonstrates respect.
• How to use non-verbal cues to convey meaning.
• How to work in a cooperative and positive manner.
• How to be open to the ideas and opinions of others.

Interactions between Educators & Children. 

Children aren’t just watching to see how we interact with others; they are also watching to see how we interact with them as individuals. Our educators are intentional in these everyday conversations to promote concepts such as:

• Respectful communication with all the children, and educators, in the group as individuals with different opinions and ideas?
• Actively listening to all the members in the group – not just hearing them.
• Being present in the conversation, not distracted by other things.

Interactions and conversations between Educators and Families.

We understand the pressure of life with a young family and our educators appreciate the times where we can take a moment to catch up. We know, more importantly, that children take their sense of security in any situation from the cues of the trusted adults in their lives. This is why we are committed to building and maintaining trusting relationships with each and every family. Our teams:

• Greet and farewell each child and family every day with a smile and a quick chat.
• Are invested in your family and are here to help with the everyday surprises of parenting, as well as when bigger life issues arise.

There are so many different things our educators consider, both professionally and emotionally, when it comes to interacting with families, children, and fellow educators. We do all of this to support children to observe and adopt a positive understanding of how to interact with others and how we build positive relationships.

Whether at home, with loved family members, or at Mother Duck with their Educators, children’s eyes are constantly viewing what we are doing, and how we are doing it! Here, at Mother Duck our Mantra Every Child, Every Educator, Every Day, Every Time, helps us to remember that learning for young children is happening all the time and we are here to support this learning.  So the next time your little one imitates you, or says something that you always say to them, take it as a little reminder that you are the compass they are using to help navigate their world.