Activity
Watch the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning’s video clip 1.1 (opens in new window/tab) and identify how the two different caregivers interact with the infants. Answer the following questions below.
| Questions | Caregiver with child and mirror |
Caregiver with child and book |
|---|---|---|
| Record what you actually see or hear | ||
| What caregiving practices did the adults use to support the infant’s social and emotional health? | ||
| How do you think it feels to be these six and nine month old infants? |
Expert’s Response:
| Questions | Caregiver with child and mirror |
Caregiver with child and book |
|---|---|---|
| Record what you actually see or hear | The caregiver says things such as: “You are so nice kissing the baby,” “Who is that baby?” Whose face is that, oh it is A.’s face.” Where are A.’s eyes?” “Yes, there are A’s eyes.” The caregiver is holding the infant close The caregiver holds a mirror in front of the child’s eyes and the both look into the mirror. | An infant boy is sitting on a small couch and the caregiver is kneeling next to him holding a book. The child is cooing and handling the book. He holds onto pages and turns them with the caregiver. He opens flaps in the book and coos. The caregiver talks in Spanish to the child as he coos and babbles. |
| What caregiving practices did the adults use to support the infant’s social and emotional health? | The caregiver is in close proximity to the child. She engages in the child’s experience with the mirror through commenting. The caregiver uses a gentle voice. | The caregiver sits very close and at eye level to the child. She fully engages in the experience by commenting in the child’s home language. |
| How do you think it feels to be these six and nine month old infants? | There is someone who seems to have a close relationship to the child. The child seems to be content and engaged with the activity. | There are many things to explore with books and language. Life is interesting. |