/2016/09/why-children-need-to-have-familiar-toys-and-stories-when-they-start-school-with-help-from-dire-straits-eric-clapton-and-james-brown/ Supporting children's language, communication and learning Sun, 30 Oct 2016 09:07:12 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3 /2016/09/why-children-need-to-have-familiar-toys-and-stories-when-they-start-school-with-help-from-dire-straits-eric-clapton-and-james-brown/#comment-8151 Sun, 30 Oct 2016 09:07:12 +0000 /?p=1687#comment-8151 Hi Gill!
Yes, I wonder about that too. There are loads of automatic routines that we build up every day, like cleaning our teeth in exactly the same way and putting the toothbrush back in the same place. If we didn’t have these routines, like where we put our car keys when we walk in the door as soon as we get home, then we would spend hours dealing with small details in our lives. (So when we don’t follow our car keys routine, suddenly our whole world is turned upside down!!)
This is not quite what I’m writing about, though related. What I’m thinking about is how we become emotionally attached to objects, and these help us to feel calm in new situations (for children this is teddy, or a rag that they have been carrying around since babyhood etc.). But it can also be someone singing a favourite song or telling a familiar story that helps the child to feel secure in a new situation.
Thanks for getting in touch!
Michael

]]> /2016/09/why-children-need-to-have-familiar-toys-and-stories-when-they-start-school-with-help-from-dire-straits-eric-clapton-and-james-brown/#comment-8150 Mon, 17 Oct 2016 02:25:09 +0000 /?p=1687#comment-8150 So I wonder how much our own personal rituals we have is to meet our personal need for familiarity .
so many times we follow same pattern if behaviours often called routine but is this because we still need familiarity to feel composed as we go about our day. For children they notice things they are familiar with ie story they had in a different class but as adults do we just feel sameness without really noticing ?

]]> /2016/09/why-children-need-to-have-familiar-toys-and-stories-when-they-start-school-with-help-from-dire-straits-eric-clapton-and-james-brown/#comment-8149 Thu, 15 Sep 2016 10:24:04 +0000 /?p=1687#comment-8149 Hi Maggie!!
For me it’s having some music that I really like. It feels very comforting, somehow, to listen to ‘Sister Golden Hair’ and ‘Don’t Cross the River (if you can’t swim the tide)’ by America.
Each to their own, I guess….
It’s great to hear from you!
Michael

]]> /2016/09/why-children-need-to-have-familiar-toys-and-stories-when-they-start-school-with-help-from-dire-straits-eric-clapton-and-james-brown/#comment-8148 Wed, 14 Sep 2016 19:07:14 +0000 /?p=1687#comment-8148 Oh so true! This is why I always head to McDonald’s for a McFlurry when lecturing abroad – imagine my delight to discover a Dime bar McFlurry in Helsinki… Change can be good too – underpinned by familiarity!

]]> /2016/09/why-children-need-to-have-familiar-toys-and-stories-when-they-start-school-with-help-from-dire-straits-eric-clapton-and-james-brown/#comment-8147 Mon, 12 Sep 2016 15:15:04 +0000 /?p=1687#comment-8147 Take it to the bridge!!!!

]]> /2016/09/why-children-need-to-have-familiar-toys-and-stories-when-they-start-school-with-help-from-dire-straits-eric-clapton-and-james-brown/#comment-8146 Mon, 12 Sep 2016 07:37:28 +0000 /?p=1687#comment-8146 Thanks Michael. More food (in this case Spaghetti) for thought. We should all join James Brown and ‘get involved’in the Early Years summit.

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