Thursday, September 6, 2012

Transitions


Each child moves into our group in his or her very own way, some are laughing, most are crying but they all eventually find their place and make our home their own. This year we have two new little guys and they are the exact opposite of each other in the way they are adjusting to our environment. Both boys are close in age but have completely different temperaments so the techniques I will use to help them adjust are going to be slightly different.  












First up is L. For his first two days L kept showing me pictures of his mom so I wouldn’t forget what she looked like when she came - super cute! I’m thinking he thought I was just giving children to random people when they came in the door because as each child would get picked up he made sure I knew he wasn’t leaving with anyone else by showing me a picture of his mom.

Like most two year olds he was a little anxious entering daycare, he tends to fall apart at drop off and he needs some extra reassurance that everything is going to be okay. Luckily he is my full time guy and he comes early so I am able to spend a little more quiet time bonding with him before all the other kids come in. 


Everyday when L settles in and is happily playing with his new friends, I take photos and video clips of him to provide some conversation kindling at home. (It’s also nice for mom to know that he really wasn’t sad all day.) I review the videos and photos next morning during our quiet time together so he remembers we that we actually are a pretty cool bunch of people. He’s usually laughing within a few minutes and chatting about all the things we did. 

Even with the videos, L tends to cycle through moments of sadness, then happiness, then interest in the environment again until breakfast. His behavior is very typical for his age and just takes time to work through. 

Once we are outside L is happy for the rest of the day, he loves being outside. Each day L learns to trust us a little more and he is starting to really get a sense of the daycare day routine making it is easier for him to soothe himself.

Some other things that help L ease into his morning are listening to Jack Johnson, drawing fire trucks with markers, showing everyone pictures of his family and telling us about his vacations. L also seems to find comfort in hearing me repeat the sequence of activities that will happen until his mom gets here. 






J, our second new comer is very low key. If he were a musical instrument would definitely be the bass of the group; super mellow and laid back. J is pretty talkative with me but he’s still getting to know the other kids so he’s quiet with them. My guess is he will be chatty once he gets his bearings. 

J doesn’t really need as much reassurance that his parents are coming back but he does need a little support entering play and setting boundaries with his peers. For example the other day my son Valentine was watching J play when one of the younger children took a toy out of his hands, J responded with a simple “okay” and moved on to something else. This immediately endeared J to Val and he dubbed him “the gentle giant”.  



In general J seems to be very observant, when people are talking he fixes his gaze on them and seems to be taking everything in, recording it for future use. He tends to hang back and watch the other children play or engage in parallel play, responding only when other children talk to him. In order to help him assimilate with the group, I have planned a few activities that involve 1 or 2 other children so J will have less to take in as he figures everyone out. My plan is to facilitate conversations in smaller groups and give J support in staking his space among the other kiddies. 

In both cases I think the boys will settle in nicely within the next week or two. I can't wait to see all these boys in action, it's been a while since the girls have been outnumbered!


4 comments :

  1. G, you are so cute and amazing! These parents are extremely lucky to have you to take care of their children when they are not around.

    Love you bunches!
    Bobbie

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    1. Thanks Bobbie, I think we are the lucky ones to have so many great people in our lives! Hopefully we will have your wee one join us some day xoxo

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  2. Ms. Geraldine, you knocked my socks off with this!!!! Thank you so much for taking such great care of J. He is blessed to have you caring for him!!! I will copy and paste this so I can print it and save it.

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    1. So sweet! J is pretty great, each little one that comes along has something new to share with the group, can't wait to see all he has to offer once he's in full swing.

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