Attachment in Young Children and Caregivers
WWB #24 Training Kit
Attachment: What Works?
Attachment
•
What is attachment?
•
Why is it important for young children and
caregivers?
What Is Attachment?
•
The continuing and lasting relationships that
young children form with one or more adults.
•
Attachment refers especially to one aspect of the
adult-child relationship: the child’s sense of
security and safety when in the company of a
particular adult.
•
Importantly, individual children, and children
from different cultures and family backgrounds
may show secure and insecure attachment
differently.
Why Is Attachment Important?
•
Within secure relationships, children learn
how to manage their strong emotions and
reactions and develop their identities.
•
Infants and toddlers thrive when most or all of
their relationships with adults in their lives are
secure.
Activity
Pair-Think-Share
Make a list of child behaviors associated with secure and
insecure attachment
Characteristics of Children with
Insecure Attachment Relationships
•
Behave as if they know that adults are
inconsistently or seldom available.
•
Stay close to an adult to get their needs met,
inhibiting their exploration of their environment.
•
Do not seek adult help to deal with emotions
when distressed.
•
Hide strong feelings; withdraw to avoid
distressing events or to organize their emotions.
•
Seem disorganized and confused about how to
behave in relationships.
Characteristics of Children with Secure
Attachment Relationships
•
Trust that their physical needs will be met by
adults.
•
Trust that adults will be emotionally available.
•
Learn to communicate in a variety of ways.
•
Begin to manage (self-regulate) their strong
reactions and emotions with adult help.
Fostering the Parent-Child Relationship
•
Help parents feel competent and confident in
their parenting (e.g., notice and describe
when parents are warm, responsive, and
nurturing with their child; help parents
recognize their strengths as parents).
•
Provide extra support to parents when
needed, such as when child illness, behavior,
disability, or temperament may be
challenging.
Fostering Secure Relationships with
the Child
•
Be warm, responsive, and affectionate with all
children; read and respond to children’s cues (e.g.,
smiling, reaching to indicate they want interact, pulling
away to indicate a break in interaction is needed,
showing sadness).
•
Engage in meaningful conversational interactions with
children; take turns speaking.
•
Be physically and emotionally available as children
explore their environments; provide hugs,
encouragement.
•
Consistently comfort children when they are
distressed.
Fostering Secure Relationships with
the Child
•
Be an enthusiastic learning partner (e.g., help child
with problem solving, follow child’s lead).
•
Let children know that you will provide them with a
safe environment and demonstrate safe behavior (e.g.,
show a child how to gently touch a peer).
•
Provide consistency in personnel, time and space for
1:1 adult-child relationships; allow caregivers and
teachers to move with a group of children to a new
room as they develop.
•
Develop program policies to refer families to
appropriate mental health support as needed.
Activity
What Would You Do?
•
Marla, a 9-month-old, was startled when a
parent entered the room.
•
After falling off of a low bench, Devon, an 18-
month-old, ran across the playground
appearing to not know what to do.
Pre-Training Survey
•
What is attachment?
•
Why is it important to children’s
development?
•
What are two characteristics of secure and
insecure child attachment?
•
What strategies can caregivers use to foster
secure attachment relationships with
children?
Speaker Notes:
• Presenter should be familiar with the content of the What Works Brief #24. Consider using the What Works Brief #24 handout as a supplemental source.
• Welcome the participants.
• Take care of any logistics (e.g., length of time for session, break, handouts).
• Pass out the pre-training survey for all participants to complete and turn in, if desired.
Attachment plays a crucial role in the development of young children, shaping their sense of security and emotional well-being. Secure relationships help children manage emotions and foster healthy identities, while insecure attachments may lead to behaviors like inhibition of exploration and difficulty regulating emotions. Supporting parent-child relationships is essential in promoting secure attachments, enhancing parental confidence and providing additional support when needed.
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Presentation Transcript
WWB #24 Training Kit Attachment: What Works?
Attachment What is attachment? Why is it important for young children and caregivers?
What Is Attachment? The continuing and lasting relationships that young children form with one or more adults. Attachment refers especially to one aspect of the adult-child relationship: the child s sense of security and safety when in the company of a particular adult. Importantly, individual children, and children from different cultures and family backgrounds may show secure and insecure attachment differently.
Why Is Attachment Important? Within secure relationships, children learn how to manage their strong emotions and reactions and develop their identities. Infants and toddlers thrive when most or all of their relationships with adults in their lives are secure.
Activity Pair-Think-Share Make a list of child behaviors associated with secure and insecure attachment Secure Attachment Relationships Insecure Attachment Relationships
Characteristics of Children with Insecure Attachment Relationships Behave as if they know that adults are inconsistently or seldom available. Stay close to an adult to get their needs met, inhibiting their exploration of their environment. Do not seek adult help to deal with emotions when distressed. Hide strong feelings; withdraw to avoid distressing events or to organize their emotions. Seem disorganized and confused about how to behave in relationships.
Characteristics of Children with Secure Attachment Relationships Trust that their physical needs will be met by adults. Trust that adults will be emotionally available. Learn to communicate in a variety of ways. Begin to manage (self-regulate) their strong reactions and emotions with adult help.
Fostering the Parent-Child Relationship Help parents feel competent and confident in their parenting (e.g., notice and describe when parents are warm, responsive, and nurturing with their child; help parents recognize their strengths as parents). Provide extra support to parents when needed, such as when child illness, behavior, disability, or temperament may be challenging.
Fostering Secure Relationships with the Child Be warm, responsive, and affectionate with all children; read and respond to children s cues (e.g., smiling, reaching to indicate they want interact, pulling away to indicate a break in interaction is needed, showing sadness). Engage in meaningful conversational interactions with children; take turns speaking. Be physically and emotionally available as children explore their environments; provide hugs, encouragement. Consistently comfort children when they are distressed.
Fostering Secure Relationships with the Child Be an enthusiastic learning partner (e.g., help child with problem solving, follow child s lead). Let children know that you will provide them with a safe environment and demonstrate safe behavior (e.g., show a child how to gently touch a peer). Provide consistency in personnel, time and space for 1:1 adult-child relationships; allow caregivers and teachers to move with a group of children to a new room as they develop. Develop program policies to refer families to appropriate mental health support as needed.
Activity What Would You Do? Marla, a 9-month-old, was startled when a parent entered the room. After falling off of a low bench, Devon, an 18- month-old, ran across the playground appearing to not know what to do.
Pre-Training Survey What is attachment? Why is it important to children s development? What are two characteristics of secure and insecure child attachment? What strategies can caregivers use to foster secure attachment relationships with children?
