What Defines You?

Are you involved in the lives of infants, toddlers, or preschoolers in any way? If so, you matter more than anyone at this present place in history. And unfortunately, you may not be feeling very appreciated right now. I want to change that starting today.

The hand the rocks the cradle rules the world. -William Ross Wallace-

I believe we can create more empathy in the world but we have to be more intentional about it and we have to start early! Here's some important information according to the folks at Harvard.

In the first few years of [human] life, more than 1 million new neural connections form every second.* After this period of rapid proliferation, connections are reduced through a process called pruning, which allows brain circuits to become more efficient. In light of these findings, focussing on early childhood only makes sense.-Center for the Developing Child, Harvard University-

So now what? How do we cope with such an enormous responsibility? And with so little societal respect or monetary compensation?

We could start by supporting each other. We could find the people that support us to be our own best selves and work with them. And we could use that knowledge and information to better support young children in their development. What a concept! Imagine what we could do.

What defines me? I really enjoy studying complex neurological principles and boiling them down to simple phrases that parents and teachers can use in their daily lives. As long as the intention of the phrase is to guide and nurture rather than to punish and extinguish behaviors, it's all good.

I'm going to share with you, phrases that are simple, developmentally appropriate, and uplifting. My intention is always to help children learn.

So for today, I'm focussing on the 3-word phrase, "You did it!" I want to show you how to take those 3 little words and use them to your best advantage. You can click on the images and print them to share! All 3 are on the same Canva doc so you have to scroll to the right to see all three.

I hope you liked this because if so you'll like what I have coming! Join our community of VIPs (Very Important Parents and Providers) and get more short, sweet, easy to implement tips e delivered to your inbox one time each week. You'll also get my 22-page slideshow How To Get Your Kids To Listen Without Yelling Or Time-Outs immediately when you join.

newsflash! I'm working n a 9-month program of pro-empathy, anti-bias experiences, and activities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. You won't want to miss it!

Nanci J Bradley is an early childhood and family educator, author, teacher, family aerobics instructor, and an all-around fun-loving person. She believes in the power of sleep, healthy eating, lifelong learning, and most of all, PLAY! She studied early childhood ed at Triton College and received her BS in education in 1986 from NIU. She received her MA in human development from Pacific Oaks College in 2011. She lives and teaches in Madison WI.