Having a secure attachment or relationship with a responsive adult will foster greater initiative in children to explore and learn. Caregivers who provide encouragement, choice, and who are accepting of a children's feelings while they are exploring, such as frustration or happiness, will also promote initiative for learning.
HAVING A SECURE ATTACHMENT OR RELATIONSHIP WITH A RESPONSIVE ADULT WILL FOSTER GREATER INITIATIVE IN CHILDREN TO EXPLORE AND LEARN. CAREGIVERS WHO PROVIDE ENCOURAGEMENT, CHOICE, AND WHO ARE ACCEPTING OF CHILDREN'S FEELINGS WHILE THEY ARE EXPLORING, SUCH AS FRUSTRATION OR HAPPINESS, WILL ALSO PROMOTE INITATIVE FOR LEARNING.
Parent responsiveness is linked to children’s eagerness to collaborate in acquiring skills. Research has shown that children show greater initiative and eagerness to learn when they expect their parents to respond to them. A study of 109 two-year-olds and their primary caregivers in Montreal, Canada, found that children who were attentive to parents were confident and positive. They tended to display high levels of eagerness to learn from their parents and showed high levels of imitative performance. There was also a tendency for attention-seeking children to display high levels of compliance to their parents’ instructions. These children responded positively to high levels of parent responsiveness.
Building relationships with children starting from infancy helps foster initiative. Children tend to have initiative and be more engaged with activities when the emotional climate is warm and accepting. Dunst, C. J., & Kassow, D. Z. (2008). Caregiver sensitivity, contingent social responsiveness, and secure infant attachment. Journal of Early and Intensive Behaviour Intervention, 5, 40–56. Bowlby, J. (1969b). Attachment. Attachment and Loss: Vol. 1. Loss. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Children who were securely attached to responsive caregivers who understood when they were exploring, and encouraged their explorations, tended to have better initiative.
Adults facilitate young children’s learning when they accept children’s strong feelings, give them attention, interact with them, and keep them safe while they are exploring. One developmentally appropriate practice is the use of meaningful language to describe feelings, actions, and objects. For example, when adults use words to describe activities, they encourage children to deepen their learning experience: “That’s a big hole you’re digging. You’re working hard! You’re using the shovel and the pail.” Infants and toddlers need opportunities to explore on their own and during interactions with a caring adult. This helps promote their initiative to learn.