practitioners should look to create opportunities, says Penny Tassoni
Two-year-olds need a lot of support with their personal care, from dressing through to nose blowing and toilet training. They also need opportunities to master and practise the skills of personal care, both at home and in the setting.
It is always interesting to see the way that mastering some of the skills associated with self-care gives children confidence. This is because being able to do things without waiting for others gives children a 'can do' attitude. Self-care is, of course, part of any routine involving this age group, but it is important to build sufficient time into the routine to empower children.
DRESSING
Two-year-olds' dressing skills are still very much in development. They will need opportunities to practise skills such as taking off jumpers and putting on shoes and coats. Between the ages of two and three, this will become increasingly easier as a child's hand-eye co-ordination develops.
Ideally, this is an area where we should work with parents so that once a child gains or is developing a skill, they are given opportunities to master it at home or in the setting.
SUPPORTING CHILDREN
When organising the environment and developing routines to help children develop their dressing skills, the main thing is to recognise that for many tasks, such as putting on shoes, trousers and even jumpers, children do better sitting or kneeling on the floor. This means that if you do not have sufficient space in the hallway or in a cloakroom, it is worth children collecting things and taking them to where there is some floor space.
I have seen dressing baskets used for this purpose, which worked well and also helped in the battle to keep things tidy. Dressing takes time and this should also be factored into the routines of the day.
TIPS
Buttons Practise threading activities. Look out for large buttons on stretchy fabric. Talk children through the process of using buttons - for example, first find the button, now find the hole. Create some fabric bags for toys that have large buttons and buttonholes so children can practise every day.
Zips With the agreement of parents, put some ribbon through the zipper and tie it to make a loop. This will make it easier for the child to hold and pull the zip up and down.
Socks Start with children pulling off their socks. Get them to sit against the wall, as this can help stability. Pull the sock over their toe and heel and let them pull up the rest.
Coats There are a couple of methods - agree with parents which one to use. Model it with children.
1 Put a child's coat on to the chair they are sitting on. See if they can find the arms of the coat and slip their arms into the coat before standing up.
2 Lay out the coat on the floor on its back, with the front facing up. Turn it away from the child so that the neck is nearest to them. Encourage the child to put their arms through the arms of the coat. Then tell the child to stand up and flip the coat over their head.
Shoes Begin by encouraging children to take off their shoes. To help them get the right shoe on the right foot - with the agreement of parents - you can add a sticker such as a star to one shoe and have a laminated card that has the outline of two shoes, one of which has a star on it; children then match the shoes to the card.
Trousers Putting on trousers requires balancing skills, so expect children to need help. With children standing up, undo the zip and button of the trousers. Encourage them to push the trousers down before sitting and removing them.
IN PRACTICE
'We encourage children to take off their own coat in the morning, but some parents insist on doing it for their children.'
Caring and 'babying' children is an expression of love and many parents do this as part of their 'goodbye' routine, so I would personally not interfere. On the other hand, I would separately provide information to parents that shows the link between self-care skills and children's confidence levels. You might also link it to children's later handwriting skills.
SKINCARE
As with other areas of children's care, it is important to work with parents to make sure that each individual child's needs are met. This is particularly important for children who may have skin conditions or where parents have particular preferences, which may in some cases be linked to their culture or religion.
HAND WASHING
Hand washing plays a major role in preventing illness and the spread of infection. In this year, many children will move towards being able to independently wash their hands and it is vital that they develop this as a habit. Children are more likely to learn to enjoy washing their hands if the environment is attractive and properly equipped.
Make sure that children can easily access a sink at their level, as well as soap and towels. It is good practice in group settings to provide paper towels or small individual hand towels that can be laundered later, as this can prevent the spread of infection. It is also important that a set routine is established for key hand-washing moments such as before lunch and after visiting the toilet.
USING A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
It can be helpful to put up a step-by-step pictorial guide to hand washing so children can see the sequence, from pushing back sleeves to turning off taps and drying hands. You can then point to each picture as you move through the stages with children. As you observe children developing some of the skills, you can then point to the stage and ask them to do it independently. A lovely touch is to create the step-by-step guide by photographing children in your setting showing each of the different steps.
AVOID RUSHING
For two-year-olds, a thing such as a soap dispenser, or even soap, is something to be explored. Allowing time for children to enjoy the process is important, as children are more likely to develop positive attitudes towards it rather than seeing it as a chore.
ROLE MODELLING
One of the ways that two-year-olds can learn about hand washing is by watching adults. So take your time when washing your own hands, use soap and take time to dry them. It is often the drying stage that adults skip over by simply wiping their hands, and children are likely to copy this.
NOSE BLOWING
Children need to learn how to blow their nose effectively as a blocked nose can affect the clarity of children's speech. It is also unpleasant for the child and others around them to have a runny nose.
To encourage children to blow their nose, it is important that tissues are easily available and ideally put in several places in the setting. It is worth positioning bins near the 'tissue' station so children get into the habit of blowing their nose and then disposing of the tissue into the bin.
Make sure that tissues are put in attractive boxes to help to motivate children. Some settings also help children get into the habit of blowing their nose promptly by having a sticker chart. This is worth trying if you have children who are reluctant.
TIPS FOR TEACHING NOSE BLOWING
As with other skills, children need to be taught how to blow their nose. Interestingly, this skill is best taught when children do not have a cold. There are a few stages to teaching children about blowing their noses.
Step 1: begin by playing games that involve blowing through the mouth
Use bubbles or strips of tissue paper to see if children can make them move, or roll up tissue balls and see if they can send them across a table. Move on to step 2 when they seem to understand the word 'blowing'.
Step 2: model blowing through the nose
Show children that, with your mouth shut, you can blow through your nose. Put a strip of tissue paper or crepe paper in front of your nose and, with your mouth shut, blow and make it move. Make sure that children see you have your mouth closed, and that you remind them of this.
Step 3: play games where children are blowing through their nose
See if children can gently blow through their nose and make a tissue paper strip move, as you did in step 2. Play other games, for example rolling a small bit of paper into a ball and seeing if children can make it move. Always remind children to close their mouth when blowing through their nose.
Step 4: blowing through the nose with one nostril gently blocked
See if the child can repeat step 3, but with one nostril gently blocked. Children can either put a finger against the nostril or you can do this gently for them.
Step 5: blowing through the nose without the need for a resource
See if children can repeat steps 3 and 4 without the need for a resource or game. Check that they can do this by putting your hand under their nostril.
MORE INFORMATION
This is an edited extract from Getting It Right for Two-Year-Olds - a Penny Tassoni Handbook
Getting It Right for Two-Year-Olds - a Penny Tassoni Handbook (Hodder Education, £14.99) is a complete guide to working with this age group. It looks in detail at two-year-olds' development in each of the Prime areas of learning and provides advice on how best to plan activities, organise provision and create stimulating environments. It is also fun, informative and practical.
Penny Tassoni is a leading early years consultant and author and is president of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years.
To order a copy of the book, visit www.hoddereducation.co.uk.
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