Nursery World - Snuggle up

Babies and children need the warmth of a cuddle - it's vital for their social and emotional development and should be appropriate practice, says Jennie Lindon Helping young children to become aware of their feelings and those of others is an important aspect of social and emotional development. But practitioners should also not overlook the extent to which children need physical closeness as part of their emotional development.

Helping young children to become aware of their feelings and those of others is an important aspect of social and emotional development. But practitioners should also not overlook the extent to which children need physical closeness as part of their emotional development.

Our skin is amazing. It has millions of nerve cells of various shapes within the different layers. When those nerve cells are stimulated by contact, the energy created passes from the skin via the spinal cord and carries messages to the neurons in the brain. The process happens in a split second and neuroscientists still do not understand entirely how it all works. But what is clear is that humans are strongly affected by touch.

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