3 Ways to Encourage Nurturing Dispositions in Toddlers.

In my day to day work with toddlers I often ask myself, "What kind of people do I want these children to grow up to be?" I don't ask in the sense of, "I want them to be a Doctor!" or "An A+ student!", but I ask what kind of human do I want them to become? These children are the future, so what kind of future do we want for them? For the world? We have a big job as educators (and/or parents) to encourage the dispositions we value into the children we care for. Some things that come to mind when I think of dispositions I value are: kindness, caring, and empathy. Through observing the toddlers in my care I decided I really wanted to ignite empathy in my toddlers, but how could I do this? I came to the conclusion that in order to ignite empathy, I had to first encourage nurturing dispositions within my toddlers.

Through my research I have narrowed it down to three ways to encourage nurturing dispositions in toddlers: nurturing baby dolls/toys, each other, and the environment.

1) Nurturing Babydolls/Toys:

Baby doll play is a great way to practice nurturing. I would often set out baby doll provocations for the children such as: a baby doll washing station, blankets to wrap them in, a high chair at the snack table for the dolls, a diapering table, etc.

The baby dolls were out at all times and the children were more than welcome to bring the dolls with them throughout our daily routines.

One of the most important things to remember is that it is essential to be gentle with the baby dolls to model how to treat them. I would pick them up and set them down with the utmost care, even supporting the head and neck as if it were a newborn. I treat the dolls like I would treat a real baby. You wouldn't fling a baby across the room, so don't do it to the dolls, even when you're cleaning!

Not only do we want to nurture the baby dolls, but also the materials in our room/classroom. I would point out when children were being gentle and nurturing by saying things like, "I like how you're being really gentle with the books." or "You're putting all the blocks away. That keeps our room clean!" Through nurturing baby dolls/toys they begin to build social skills to nurture other children.

2) Nurturing one another:.

Encouraging toddlers to help one another and be sensitive to emotions isn't as easy as saying, "Go help them." It starts with modelling the behaviour you desire. If a child falls you could say to the children, "I am going to see if they are okay. They look sad. Do you want to come with me?" Then you could help the child who fell, and ask if they would like a hug. Through repeated modelling children will begin to understand how they can help others in need, and they will begin to take initiative in nurturing others.

Toddlers have a relentless desire to help others, and through encouragement from their caregivers they can become very nurturing towards one another. As parents or educators it's so easy for us to rush in when a child is in need, but challenge yourself to take a step back. Instead of immediately helping the child, encourage another child to go over and help them. With toddlers the most common ways I see them help one another are: helping a friend get up when they fall, sharing a book, hugging one another, assisting others get their outerwear on, lending a helping hand to a child going down or up a step, and asking if a crying friend is okay. Not only does this encourage nurturing dispositions, but supports their sense of independence which is so important to toddlers!

3) Nurturing the Environment

Okay so we know caring for our baby dolls, toys, and our peers is important, but how about the environment? I am a strong believer in getting the children outside every day to appreciate the beauty of the world around them, and also to understand the role they play in that great big world. In recent years we are really starting to realize how important our role is in caring for our environment (if you'd like some extra motivation click here for an awesome video!) So if we believe we need to care for our environment, shouldn't we be motivating children to nurture the environment as well? Although this may seem like a big task there are some very simple ways for toddlers to nurture the environment.

The first and most important step in nurturing the environment is to admire it! Point out the weather, sounds, plants, and creatures you observe together outside. Get excited together and truly appreciate the world that surrounds you. Then you are ready to actively nurture the environment through things like: raking the leaves, being gentle with the plants, animals, and yes even bugs deserve to be treated with kind hands.

What Social Emotional Skills Does Nurturing Encourage?

Now that you know some ways to encourage nurturing dispositions in toddlers, why do it? Nurturing not only is a great disposition for any person to have, but it also encourages important social emotional skills within young children.

Encouraging a nurturing disposition builds respect for the people around them, the materials they use each day, and the environment. It also helps to develop the building blocks for empathy, a desire to care for others, and contribute to the group.

I hope this post helps you in your interactions with children in your care. If you'd like to have a conversation, or have any questions feel free to reach me through the contact form on the main page of my blog. Thanks for reading!