 Adult-Child Interaction
Sharing control: Adults and children as partners. In the HighScope Curriculum, shared control is central to how adults and children interact. The curriculum has many specific strategies for accomplishing this goal. Children are in control of child-sized decisions such as where to play, how to play, and whom to play with. Adults are in charge of adult-sized decisions including establishing the daily routine, arranging and equipping the classroom, planning group activities around curriculum content areas, and keeping children physically and psychologically safe.
HighScope has neither a directive nor an “anything-goes” atmosphere. Instead, HighScope promotes a supportive climate in which adults and children are partners throughout the day.
Research on the importance of adult-child interaction. Research indicates that they way adults interact with children plays a very important role in children’s learning and development. These studies demonstrate that in classrooms where teachers are responsive, guiding, and nurturing, children take more initiative and are more likely to be actively involved and persistent in their work.
Interaction strategies that promote active learning. Some of the most important adult-child interaction strategies used in HighScope programs are listed below. Details on how to apply these strategies, as well as many other adult-child strategies for specific areas of learning, are given in HighScope's training and publications.
♦ Adults offer children comfort and contact. Adults look for children who need reassurance and support and are quick to offer a hand to hold, a lap to curl up in, or just their calm presence nearby.
♦ Adults participate in children's play. Adults look for natural openings in children's play and then join the child or children at their physical level. Once near a child who is playing, adults often imitate what the child is doing. This shows the child that his or her activities are valued and supported by the adult. At children's invitation, adults often play as partners with children. During pretend play, adults follow the child's lead, assuming roles suggested by the children. Adults may suggest new ideas to challenge children within an ongoing play situation, but in so doing adults continue to follow children's cues and stay within the play theme the children have chosen.
♦ Adults converse as partners with children. Adults look for opportunities for conversations with children about the activities children are engaged in. Children take the lead in these conversations. Adults talk with children in a natural, give-and-take way. Adults make comments that allow the conversation to continue without pressuring the child for a response. They ask questions sparingly and responsively, out of a genuine interest in what children are doing. They avoid quizzing children on facts or concepts. Adults avoid praise and judgmental comments of all kinds. Instead they make objective, specific comments that encourage children to expand their descriptive language and think about what they are doing.
♦ Adults encourage children’s problem solving. Whenever possible, adults encourage children to solve problems for themselves. While adults could often solve the problem more easily by taking over, the goal is for children to develop their own problem-solving abilities through trial and error. When children have conflicts with each other, adults stay nearby to be ready to offer support as needed (but intervene immediately to stop hurtful words or actions). When necessary, adults use the six steps in conflict resolution to help children find a solution to their problem.
Effective adult-child interaction is essential to a successful early childhood program. Changes in how adults interact with children do not happen overnight. HighScope is ready to offer training, publications, and guided support to help teachers and caregivers strengthen their skills in this critical area of program quality.
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related training
2-Day Workshops
HighScope Approach To Adult-Child Interaction (WK514)
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