Leslie: Hello. My name is Leslie Forestat, Extension Specialist with the University of

Maine cooperative extension. Today we're going to talk about how children learn and how you

as a caregiver can create the best learning environment for your child.

Children are born learning and what they hear, see, and experience from birth has affects

for their lifetime. Even before they are able to speak, they're interactions with people

have an affect on their brains. Positive experiences help form connections in their brains and

negative experiences do too. The positive experiences build the connections for trust

and happiness and an understanding that an adult is there to help in times of stress.

What you can do to promote learning. Develop a warm, caring relationship with your child.

Show them that your care deeply about them. Express joy in who they are. Help them to

feel safe and secure.

Serve and return. Like a tennis match, how you respond to a child's cues and clues makes

a world of difference in their learning. Notice their rhythms and moods even in the first

days and weeks of life. Respond to children when they are upset as well as when they are

happy. Try to understand what children are feeling, what they are telling you in words

or actions and what they are trying to do.

Play with them in a way that lets you follow their lead. Move in when children want to

play and pull back when they seem to have had enough stimulation. Talk, read, and sing

to children. Surround them with language. Maintain an ongoing conversation with them

about what you and they are doing. With stories, ask them to guess what will come next in the

story. Play word games. Ask toddlers and preschoolers questions that require more than a yes or

no answer like, "What do you think? What do you think will happen next?"

Ask children to picture things that have happened in the past or might happen in the future.

Provide reading and writing materials including crayons and paper, books and magazines. These

are key pre-reading experiences.

Encourage safe exploration and play. Give children opportunities to move around, explore,

and play and be prepared to step in if they are at risk of hurting themselves or others.

Help them to explore relationships as well. Arrange for children to spend time with other

children to support their learning and to solve the conflicts that inevitably arise.

Watch for them to resolve the conflict first before stepping in. If a child is going to

be hurt, feel free to step in.

Use discipline to teach. Discipline is teaching. Talk to children about what they are feeling

and teach them words to describe those feelings. If your child has misbehaved, make it clear

that while you might not like the way they are behaving you love them. Explain the rules

and consequences of behavior so children can learn the whys behind what you are asking

them to do. Tell them what you want them to do, not just what you don't want them to do.

Establish routines. Children thrive on routines. Create routines and rituals for events during

the day like mealtime, naptime, and bedtime. Try to be predictable so the child knows what

to expect and that they can count on you.

Develop a relationship with your child's providers in childcare and preschool. Keep in close

touch with your children's childcare providers or your teachers. These caring relationships

that they form outside of your home are among the most important relationships that they

have.

Finally, take care of yourself. You can best care for young children when you are cared

for as well. Learn to cope with your stressors so that you can help your child learn to manage

hers too. Take time for walks and take breathing breaks in Maine's beautiful outdoors. Your

child's wellbeing depends on your health and wellbeing.

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