Simple Tips

June 4, 2007 | Print

Giving Gentle Guidance

Children often find themselves at the edge of danger, about to bump their head on a coffee table or fall off a step.

“Be careful” may be our instinctive response, but it doesn’t explain the risk and may even distract them so they do lose their balance.

Here’s another approach to help children navigate away from potential bumps and falls:

• We move closer to shadow them, so we’re there if they need us.

• We point out the danger spot by running our hand over the edge of the step, the corner of the table, or the water spigot in the bathtub and at the same time tell them in simple terms, “there’s an edge here” or “here’s a sharp corner of the table” or “the water spigot is above you”.

Babies may pause to watch our hand movements. Toddlers often respond by touching the area themselves. Preschoolers may notice it for the first time (and often alerting a preschooler with words is enough).

With babies, toddlers, and imminent danger situations, we keep our hand over the risky area or stay close to the edge of a step so if they misjudge the distance or forget, they’ll bump our hand instead of a sharp edge or fall into our arms rather than the ground.

However the moment evolves, it becomes an opportunity for connection.

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