Belonging
Job of the child
- To call for care
- To cry or otherwise signal to get needs met
- To accept touch
- To accept nurture
- To bond emotionally - to learn trust caring adults and self
- To decide to live, to be
Affirmations
- I’m glad you are here
- You belong here
- What you need is important to us
- We are glad you are you
- You can grow at your own pace
- You can feel all of your feelings
- We want you to be here and want to care for you
Helpful Teacher/Carer Behaviours
- Affirm child in doing the developmental tasks for this stage
- Provide consistent care as needed
- Think for child when required, while monitoring development through the stage
- Use touch, holding, talking, singing - and intuition to decide how and when
- Be reliable and trustworthy
- Get help when unsure how to respond to child
Hunger - Contact
Killer message- Don't exist; Don't be: Don't trust