Choose Respectful Words With Children and Families

Laura Mickley, in an article that forms the basis of an Out of the Box Training Kit, “Building Bridges through Words,” writes:

“The words you choose and how you use them either facilitate positive, effective relationships with children and families or impede those relationships. As early care and education professionals, it is our responsibility to express an interest in families and children. We need to acknowledge children and families’ strengths and the ways in which they are effective...We need to accept the presumptions that all people are basically good, and families want what is best for their children. Upon those presumptions we can build a relationship, the very foundation of which is communication.”

Mickley explains how important it is to communicate respect and caring:
“The words we use with children and families can build strong relationships or erect barricades.”

Here are some examples she provides:
“The respect we communicate through our words helps us model what we expect from children; this affects all areas of their development. When we are going to wipe a very young child’s nose, saying, ‘I am going to wipe your nose now’ shows respect. Asking a preschool child if he needs help as he struggles to zip up his coat shows respect. If we jump right into helper mode without those words, we may be impeding progress and disempowering the child..."

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