Greetings

Hello everyone, welcome to our October newsletter! As always, we provide an overview of what is happening within our childcare community. This month, we will focus on the benefits of practising mentalisation in a childcare setting.

Mentalisation is not a new concept. It has been around since the 16th or 17th century. It was first used to mean the effort the mind makes. In the 1980s, mentalisation was applied by neuroscience researchers to refer to understanding a child’s behaviour using the child’s own thoughts, feelings, wishes or desire. 

Mentalisation, Projection and Reaction

Mentalisation, or intuitively deciphering, about how or why a child behaves a certain way happens in a flash. It is an active process in recognising a child as a child, an individual on their own. Children, having a special attachment to their parent or caregiver, look to their parents to recognise themselves and learn from their parents’ reactions towards their behaviour. 

For example, a parent sees their child who smeared cake on their face. The child looks on to their parent, waiting for a reaction. This reaction, whether positive or negative, gives the child insight into how their parent might react to other spontaneous behaviours in the future. 

Mentalisation in a Childcare Setting

As secondary caregivers, early childhood educators can support a child’s healthy mental development through a well-informed understanding of a child’s behaviour, thoughts and emotions. This also means early childhood educators acknowledging and responding appropriately to the emotional needs of children in their care. 

The Benefits of Practising Mentalisation in Childcare

Being attuned to a child’s emotional landscape helps caregivers build rapport and understanding with children. Here are some of the benefits of practicing mentalisation in childcare.

1. Enhances Emotional Regulation

As children learn to adapt to their big feelings, childcare providers are better equipped to guide young children as they develop their emotion regulation skills. As providers acknowledge and validate a child’s feelings, they help the child make sense of what they’re feeling strongly in the moment and manage their behaviour accordingly. By helping children express their emotions in a more constructive rather than a destructive way, it helps create a more peaceful and nutritious childcare environment for all.

2. Supports Healthy Attachment

With strong role models who understand and respect children’s feelings, children are able to form a more secure attachment with their parent or caregiver. This helps a child develop trust and confidence in their earliest relationships that will be carried over their lifetime.

3. Improves Communication Skills

Practising mentalisation allows children to learn how to express their feelings more effectively, knowing that their parent or caregiver will engage with them in a thoughtful and empathetic way. A child is then able to relay their emotional needs, voice out their conflicts, and build better relationships not only with their caregivers but also with their peers.

4. Encourages Empathy

Through mentalisation, a child begins to understand that other people also have their own thoughts and feelings. Little by little a child learns how to put themselves into others’ shoes. This teaches them tolerances and inclusivity, especially in childcare settings.

5. Strengthen Problem-Solving Abilities

Armed with the knowledge that other people may have different perspectives, it helps children think more critically. Children, when solving problems, begin to consider others’ thoughts and feelings, and become more skillful in finding solutions to conflicts that not only addresses their needs but also that of others. 

How to Foster Mentalisation in a Childcare Setting

1. Engage in active listening.

Early childhood educators should pay close attention to what children say and express genuine interest in their thoughts and feelings.

2. Ask about other’s perspectives.

It can be hard for a young child to immediately think about other’s thoughts and feelings. As they’re still developing it, they need much more time and guidance in considering other people. Making it a routine practice to ask about what they think other people’s perspectives is key to helping them develop their mentalisation skills at a much faster pace.

3. Use storytelling to practise mentalisation.

Stories are an immersive experience that lets children encounter different characters that express different emotions, thoughts and feelings through their actions. Children learn to recognise and see how different characters react to different situations and what their perspectives are. 

The Takeaway

A child’s first role model and source of support. The child relies very much on their parent’s assessment and reaction of the child’s behaviour. As parents and caregivers, practising mentalisation helps to bridge the gap between a child’s developing emotional world and their emotional regulation skills. It helps the parent and/or caregiver give meaning to a child’s increasing emotional landscape, help the child express and address their emotions in a healthy manner while considering that other people may have different thoughts, feelings, and behaviour to theirs. 

Mentalisation can be seen as practising a deep mental understanding of young children and extending empathy to help them become individuals with a well-adjusted temperament.

0-12 month development

Why Do Babies Smile in Their Sleep?

Author: Alex Vance

Have you noticed your baby smiling in their sleep? Are you wondering whether it’s because of what they’re seeing in their dream? Turns out at this stage, it’s still an involuntary reflex. Babies make a lot of facial expressions while they sleep and it seems a way for them to practise future social skills.

Read on and find out the reason for your baby’s smiles while sleeping here.

1-2 year development

Never show your kids weakness … and other parenting myths, debunked

Author: Joanna Moorhead 

Parenting and caregiving for a toddler is hard. And while social media is rife with parenting tips, hacks, strategies, and magic shortcuts that seemingly make everyone else the perfect parent role model, it’s impossible to parent and adhere to these perfect parenting standards. Read this article and see experts debunk parenting myths that should be put to rest eternally here.

2-3 year development

Why young children don’t understand ‘pranks’

Author: Amanda Ruggeri 

Are you a fan of pulling pranks on your kids for comedic effect ? It might be tempting to target them for their simply pure reactions, however, young children aren’t cognitively developed enough to understand it’s a prank that’s supposed to be funny. When a parent who is supposed to be a source of trust, a safe place becomes an aggressor, it violates the trust and causes a break in the parent-child  relationship.

Find out why young children aren’t yet cognitively equipped to appreciate being the victim of a good old prank here.

3-4 year development

Is Your Child Overstimulated? Here’s What to Do.

Author: Elisa Cinelli

One minute your child is fine and the next they’re throwing a tantrum. While it might be a natural part of their development, tantrums can be caused by overstimulation and sensory overload. When the external stimuli is too much for a child’s capacity, they start to unload this through tantrums and can manifest in various ways depending on the child’s age. 

Read more about overstimulation and what you can do to help your child deal with sensory overload here.

4-5 year development

The lifelong effects of ‘the favourite child’

Author: Debra Dennett

Since a shift in parenting styles, children have become more confident, assertive, and argumentative. Some may see this as children becoming more rude, however psychologists see this as a positive indicator that children feel safe and loved being themselves. 

Read more about how your kid’s otherwise less desirable behavior may be a good thing here.

Build a River Model

In this activity, kids will learn how rivers work and create their own river model! It’s a learning experience of using their observations, memory and imagination to craft their own river model. 

Find the guide on creating a river model here.

Blow Up a Pumpkin Balloon

Put an airy twist to the iconic Halloween decor pumpkin face by blowing a pumpkin balloon! Combining an acid and a base to cause a reaction which creates carbon dioxide that’ll pump up the balloon into shape.

Find the steps to blow up a pumpkin balloon for Halloween here.

Spider Webs

Turn your classroom into a spooky spider web haven with your kids’ very own spider web creations. This is a great activity for children to improve their sensory motors, from cutting the yarn to tracing their web design.

See the steps of web designing here.

DIY Sundial for Kids

This activity can last a whole day or even more. Creating a sundial helps children be more attentive to the time of day, their numbers and how general timekeeping works. Do note it won’t be as accurate all year as the Earth orbits around the sun.  

Find the steps on creating a DIY sundial for kids here.