When I opportunities for children to interact in an environment that balances both minimization and availability of adult intervention, I am struck with the often slow, careful, budding awareness of each other. The touch of another child's hand catches attention; your hand is different than a toy, different than my own hand, different than an adult.
During these interactions, I hope to support looking and listening closely. I minimize my interruptions, waiting for the cues from a child to spark my involvement. Joyous eye contact may invite a comment, "You carefully offered your hand, and he grabbed it! Babies love to make choices with their bodies, just like you! It's fun to connect like that."
Often, and ideally, they are in their own world together--naturally looking closely and thereby gathering information about cause and effect, the qualities of humanity, and both autonomy and relatedness.
By supporting healthy, authentic interactions from infancy, we support the observations and interactions that form building blocks for each child's moral development!
This attention-catching quality of the other child is powerful.
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