Friends

"Oh look.  H and C are playing with the basket.  They're pulling the toys out.  H is looking at C's face.  Does she like it?  I wonder."

We have been noticing each other.  Eye contact during play times, even passing toys back and forth bring smiles to everyone involved.  I am always drawn to these moments when the children initiate contact and interactions between each other.














Often it begins with interest in a toy.  They reach out for it, only to notice someone else is already attached to it.  Eye drift up to meet, then back to the toy.  There is a moments pause and they either use it together, pull, taste, smile, cry or consider each other as their touch becomes an extension of the moment and the toy.  Even the play. 


















 I support these moments by being present, yet reserved.  I am part of the background, yet there to narrate if it seems right.  How do I know if it is right?  It usually involves them looking to me and a feeling of acknowledgement.  If they are involved in their own conversations, then I give them as much space as they need.  This is the flow that occurs throughout my day.  Sometimes if I am with another child and notice a moment of connection happening, I will narrate to that third child what I notice.

"E and H are holding the baster.  They're holding tightly.  Z is reaching for it now.  Everyone is smiling!  It works!"