Nursery World - An essential guide to… interactions

Marjorie Ouvry explains ‘The 6 As of behaviour management and interaction’, her guide to getting the most out of interactions with young children

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Children’s behaviour and learning hinge on high-quality interactions with adults, and the revised Ofsted inspection framework, with its new judgements of ‘Behaviour and dispositions’ and ‘Quality of education’, makes this an ideal time to reflect on our interactions with children.

Any successful interaction depends on body language as well as words. Are our arms crossed defensively, our facial muscles relaxed, our tone of voice judgmental? Are we at approximately the same height as the other person and making eye contact?

Most people are good at unconsciously reading signs of acceptance or rejection. So too are children, though their young age means that they may sometimes misinterpret our intentions, leading to behavioural problems. As adults, we have to make allowances for their mistakes and assume that their intentions are good. As Froebel reminds us, ‘Behind every bad act is a good intention.’

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