Nursery World - Not a different species

Just like adults, children’s personal preoccupations and troubles, no matter how trivial they seem to us, can get the better of them

The longer I work in the sector (or perhaps the older I get), the similarities between children and adults become more obvious. Feelings, reactions and responses run in parallel, it’s just that the priorities are different. Of course, as adults we believe our priorities override theirs.

When I am trying to unpick why a child is behaving in a certain way (shyness, becoming easily overwhelmed, upset or excited), I see a mirror of how we behave as adults. I often explain to parents that for a child starting their new nursery class it can be like going to a party where we don’t really know anybody. Our relief at a familiar face walking through the door or knowing a routine (think party games) makes the difference between feeling relaxed or being an ‘outsider’.

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