Author: Estudiantes de la Universidad de Cantabria

Students of the University of Cantabria (Spain)
Studenti dell'Università di Cantabria (Spagna)
Estudiantes de la Universidad de Cantabria

Categories
Early Childhood Education

Facilities II

The facilities consist of educational approaches, where aesthetics and contemporary art are mixed with a foundation and pedagogical bases, managing to favor pre-symbolic and symbolic playing in a relational context (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014). Its main promoters were Abad and Ruiz de Velasco, who wanted to create spaces where children couldlearn in an active way, being the very own protagonists of the action and exploring their own interests and needs (Abad and Ruiz de Velasco, 2014; Moya, 2017).

They use the environment itself and its characteristics (the walls, the ceiling, the floor), alongside a series of materials that build an environment of beauty, which invites the spectator to take part in it (Rubio and Riaño, 2019). Therefore in the facilities, the educator is in charge of designing and organizing the playground and its intention, while the children have a leading and participatory role so that they are able to deconstruct, transform and rebuild the space, interacting with others (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014; Rubio y Riaño, 2019).

The spots and materials shape two essential aspects of the facilities.

On the one hand, the spaces have to be organized in an aesthetic way, so that they manage to please the children and invite them to interact, and to carry out actions, wander and explore a quality space, which allow the children to generate a “powerful mental image” (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014). In the facilities, objects are organized within the space by geometric forms or mandalas, so that children are guided from that initial order in which they feel safe, encouraging them to explore and interpret both, the space and the materials, in a physical and psychic sense (Abad and Ruiz de Velasco, 2014).

On the other hand, the materials used in the facilities have to be diverse, from daily use and accessible, allowing the children to carry out a cognitive process in which already known materials acquire a new association, a new use, a newinterpretation (Moya, 2017). In the facilities, triads of objects are used, which encourage students to perform divergent actions so that they are not limited to the established functions of those objects. We could say that these triads have a storyline or dialogue, which the children achieve through playing. These materials also allow students to create their own game based on their characteristics and their rhythms, promoting diversity at the same time (Moya, 2017). In addition, the materials have to be complementary to each other, emphasizing the differences between them so that they become evident (big and small, round and square, soft and rough…).

In the implementation of the facilities, there is always a common path to be followed.

It begins by selecting the idea to be represented and designing it. The educators analyze the context and its conditions, as well as the characteristics of the children so that the theme of the installation and the organization of materials and spaces is customized for them in an aesthetic way (Toca, 2019). The location is decided, marking off where the installation begins and where it ends; the types of materials and their quantity are selected, ensuring that they give the children diverse possibilities of action and interaction with their peers (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014).

Once this is done, the children are introduced to the installation, allowing them to observe and make any questions or comments that they may have about it. The educators will try to make them meditate through questions, and they will also take advantage of the opportunity and mention the rules or agreements of coexistence during the development of the installation (Toca, 2019). Before students can enter the facility, they are invited to represent what they see or what the installation suggests to them in a graphic or verbal way.

After this, they are allowed to experiment and interact freely with the materials and spaces designed for them. The children deconstruct and build the space, experiment, handle the objects, interact with their peers, etc.

Afterwards, the children must always perform a presentation, narrated in a graphic way (drawings) or orally, in which they show what they have learned or what they have experienced.Finally, the proposal is evaluated, as well as the possibilities of action, playing and relationship that the installation has generated (Abad y Ruiz de Velasco, 2014; Moya, 2017).

References 

Rubio Gorrochategui, L., & Riaño Galán, M. E. (2019). Arte y Educación: Instalaciones en el aula de Infantil.

Moya Díez, M. (2017). La instalación artística en educación infantil.

Ruiz de Velasco, A., y Abad, J. (2014). Contextos de simbolización y juego. La propuesta de las instalaciones. Revista Aula de Infantil, 77, 11-28.

Toca Martínez, S. (2019). Jugar, experimentar y relacionarnos: las instalaciones artísticas en un aula de 4 años.

Authorship

Lidia Abascal Abascal y Andrea Álvarez Peña, 2020.

Categories
Early Childhood Education

Facilities I

Infant education facilities

Throughout this text, authors such as Ángeles Ruiz de Velasco, Pablo García González, Isabel Recio and Javier Abad, will be the protagonists who will offer to the discourse the pedagogical sense that this proposal of the facilities requires. Before beginning, it should be noted that Javier Abad, is one of the most representative figures of the methods of work from the facilities, where for him, these are part of a scenario where action-transformation is collected by children.

The facilities are characterized by generating symbolic and presymbolic games in childhood, with the ultimate purpose of developing creative, relational and emotional capacities in the students creating an atmosphere of freedom and joy. That is, as Dávila (2015) points out, 

“The emotional climate changes and, therefore, the dynamics of the classroom guarantees the participation of children in a reliable, peaceful and democratic environment, where trust, security and care are experienced, elements that build children’s personality and prosocial behaviors as the basis of Good Living” (Dávila, 2015, citado en OMEP ECUADOR, p.250).

Orienting the discourse, according to Ruiz de Velasco y Abad (2014) and other authors such as those mentioned above, the most important aspects to take into account when designing and implementing the proposed facilities are based on the following questions:

What are the facilities?

The facilities follow the idea of configuring spaces as mediators for the game of meanings and situations of discovery. That is to say, they are settings designed from the encounter between the most aesthetic, artistic and psychomotor part, where interacting to favor the symbolic and presymbolic play of childhood.

The proposal of the facilities is to propose a symbolic space where represent an intentional idea or message by offering minors the fact of being able to “enter into play” through different modes of interpretation and interaction (Ruiz de Velasco and Abad, 2014).

The facilities, ultimately, from the educational point of view, consist of a proposal where children can be offered places to experiment and transform based on the interests adopted by the youngest, that is to say, they are educational practices where the uncertainty, motivation, creativity and imaginibility are enhanced in the schoolchildren.

What spaces, materials and times do the facilities offer?

The facilities offer beautiful and child-friendly spaces, where it is very simple to appeal to the attention of the child. They are structured spaces, arranged beautifully, and where all the elements are reflected in an organized way, in order to allow infinite possibilities of action and play from imagination and creation.

When designing the scenario for the proposal it is essential to try to offer opportunities to develop in the children the symbolic and presymbolic game spontaneously. They are scenarios where three key ideas are given priority: that they are broad places with ease of movement and action, that the proposal is in the center of the place, offering it full prominence and frequently, the materials are distributed geometrically.

In short, the facilities offer spaces that allow to be interpreted by each and every one of the students, thanks to the offer of materials arranged occupying all the space.

The materials of the facilities must offer diversity of action, relationship and discovery. They must be divergent and varied materials, so that they can be used by several infants at the same time or more individually. In addition, it is important that they are unstructured materials that allow to pass the full and the empty, the inside and the outside, the calm and the movement, the presence and the absence. In short, materials that offer countless possibilities for action.

Finally, from a temporary point of view, the facilities must offer an unlimited amount of time to children. That is, a time without haste that respects the learning rhythm of each and every small.

What is the teaching role in the facilities?

The professional in the facility is in charge of designing and organizing with certain aesthetics and care the proposal. He acts as mediator and observer, where he participates in children’s games as long as he considers it necessary. Its main function is to observe and document through a field diary the game of childhood, so that everything that happens in the proposal is visible. For this alternative, the teacher plans how he wants the installation to be, then designs it with the materials chosen, to finally expose it to childhood and begin their play.

In short, it is a proposal where the teacher tries to document all the routes he observes in childhood, in order to better and keep updated his educational practice according to the demand and needs of his schoolchildren.

What is the role of the student?

The students are the central protagonist of the whole proposal. Their function is to arrange, rebuild and transform through their individual or shared spontaneous play. The students in the facilities, initially observe the proposal to, later, be able to choose and select their preference of game, space and material.

The facilities “are a true recreational ecosystem configured by the adult to provoke from an initial order and a concrete aesthetic proposal their deconstruction, transformation and new reconstruction by children through shared play” (Ruiz de Velasco y Abad, 2016, p.45)

References 

García González, P. (2017). Escenarios de juego. Infancia: educar de 0 a 6 años, 162, 27-35.

Recio, I. (2014). Pistas para la evaluación: Instalaciones. Revista Aula de Infantil, 77.

Ruiz de Velasco, A. y Abad, J. (2014). Contextos de simbolización y juego. La propuesta de las instalaciones. Revista Aula de Infantil, 77, 11-28.

Ruiz de Velasco, A. & Abad, J. (2016). Lugares de juego y encuentro para la infancia. Revista Iberoamericana de educación, 71(1), 37-62.

Dávila, M. P. V. (2015). 4.10. Instalaciones Lúdicas Interacción, creatividad y libertad en la Primera Infancia. Memorias del 3 Encuentro Internacional de Educación Infantil, 241.

Authorship

Laura Santos de la Mata, Elena Solana Fernández y Sandra Zamorano Pérez, 2020.

Categories
Early Childhood Education

Hygiene I

Hygiene is a concept that in turn is an important factor in people’s health. For this reason and in a general way we will begin by defining this concept that, as the RAE (2019) says, refers to the “part of medicine that aims to preserve health and prevent diseases” Therefore, we can say that Hygiene is made up of all actions that positively influence people’s health (Lizandra, 2016). 

Hygiene is present at all times of our day and in any of the contexts. But especially, we are going to focus on hygiene in the first cycle of early childhood education. 

At this time, the role of the family as the primary educational agent comes into play. Being able to say that the family is an ecosystem unit, that is, a daily space where networks of support, trust, mutuality and solidarity are established (Estupiñán and Hérnandez, 2007; Muaze, 2016). Therefore, it is a primary training source, which is responsible for protecting, caring for, training and humanizing (Lizandra, 2016). 

Once children grow up, they stop spending so much time with their family to spend it in other contexts, so they must learn autonomous hygiene habits. 

According to Pikler, care is about a confluence that offers the child a relationship and quality care and the possibility of exercising their autonomous activity, protected and valued by the adult, in a safe environment. 

When children are very young and unable to fend for themselves, they need constant care and attention. They require an adult to wash, change, groom themselves. etc. 

One of these moments of hygiene is the change of diaper, at this time the relationship of the child with the adult is very important, we must think about what the child needs at all times. It will be necessary to use a close, respectful and affable language, you also have to anticipate and always give an explanation about what we do and why we do it (Escuela Infantil La Lluna, 2020). 

As the children grow up, they are incorporated to the next educational agent after the family, the school. It is necessary that there is a coordination between these two contexts for the correct development of the students. In this context, children are becoming more and more autonomous, and after two years (depending on the rhythm of each child) they are able to wash their hands, teeth, bathe, go to the bathroom alone, clean themselves, etc. 

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, in Early Childhood Education, in the first cycle, that is, 0-3 year old students, are becoming more autonomous, since one of the objectives of the 0-3 year stage is “ progressively acquire autonomy in normal activities ”. Specifically, we are going to focus on specific hygiene objectives, of which we can highlight the following (Santiago; Arribas, 2016): 

  • Promote a correct habit of personal hygiene. 
  • Involve the child in a pleasant way in his own hygiene. 
  • Increase the autonomy of your personal hygiene. 
  • Get started in the care of personal items related to hygiene. 

Finally, we would like to talk about the importance of hygiene today. The pandemic we are going through forces us to be more strict with hygiene, we must make children aware of the importance of washing their hands with soap, not abusing hydroalcoholic gel, and not touching things or putting anything in their mouth . 

With regard to hygiene and the coronavirus, the WHO (2020), reveals the following indications on the recommended measures for opening schools, where the new hygiene habits that we have to face every day are established: 

  • The importance of hygiene and cleanliness of the environment to limit exposure to the virus. 
  • Inform and raise awareness about the importance of hand washing, respiratory hygiene, the mandatory or not of masks, which should be provided to everyone who needs it. 
  • Finally, a schedule must be created for frequent hand washing, leaving hydroalcoholic gel or soap at the disposal of the educational community, as well as clean water in school facilities.  
References 

Luna, E. I. (2020). El momento del cambio de pañal. Aula de Infantil, 13-15. 

Rodríguez, Y. S., & Peñalver, I. A. (2016). Autonomía personal y salud infantil. Madrid: EDITORIAL SÍNTESIS, S. A. 

Moreno-Acero, I, Leyva-Townsend, P., y Parra-Moreno, C. (2019). La familia, primer ámbito de educación cívica. Civilizar: Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, 19(37), 43-54. doi: 10.22518/usergioa/jour/ccsh/2019.2/a26. Recuperado de: https://revistas.usergioarboleda.edu.co/index.php/ccsh/article/view/V19n37a06/1194 

Lizandra, A. (2016). La higiene en educación infantil. Los talleres como recurso didáctico (p.4). Universitat Jaume I. Recuperado de http://repositori.uji.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10234/162225/TFG__Lizandra_Mac%C3%ADas%2c_Alba.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y 

OMS (2020). Consideraciones para las medidas de salud pública relativas a las escuelas en el contexto de la COVID-19. Recuperado el 18-11-2020 de https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/332107/WHO-2019-nCoV-Adjusting_PH_measures-Schools-2020.1-spa.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y 

Real Academia Española (2019). Definición higiene. Recuperado el 18-11-2020 de https://dle.rae.es/higiene 

Authorship

Sheila Hormachea, Coral Sánchez y Carmen Santos, 2020.

Categories
Early Childhood Education

Drop-off and pick-up

The drop-off and pick-up moments are an essential part of the school’s daily life. A lot of times these moments are taken for granted and regarded as a simple exchange of children. Nonetheless, these moments have a great relevance and impact in both the school day and the people involve within the moment itself. Therefore, the drop-off and pick-up moments should be thought about as personal and emotional gathering spaces which connect the two main childhood worlds: family and school. 

A frantic pace usually characterizes the drop-off moments. Highly likely families arrive at the schools in a rush and either drop their kids in the classroom or leave them in line at the school playground.

On the contrary, we should plan the drop-off moments in such way that the hustle takes no part in them, so that a not only a physical, but also emotional and human embrace can take place. This will allow us to focus on each child and family. 

As Rosa Lopez says (2004) We need to look at the drop-off moments as both, a place and a time for meeting each other. Thus, the drop-off spaces should create a comfortable environment and be filled with professionals that parents can rely on. All in all, this is none other than an educational project that families can feel part of and that leaves a footprint behind from the very first moment everyone arrives.    

With regards to all these, it is also necessary to think of and take care of the actual physical space where the drop-off takes place. When the drop-off takes place in a common area like the hall, it provides for a more enriching experience, since children of all ages, their families and teaches get the chance to meet, share experiences, concerns and so on. In order for these spaces to reach their full potential, they must be cozy, surrounded by pictures of the schoolchildren and documentation boards (this allows children and parents to get to know each other) and have multiple possible activities to do like installations, couches, reading corners, empty spaces where people meet each other. 

On the other hand, the pick-up moments, as well as the drop-off moments, are Known for the high pace at which they happen. Furthermore, during these moments we need to deal with many unexpected events. Nonetheless, this is not the right way to think of the pick-up moments.

We need to understand these moments as an opportunity to give families information about their children. We majorly talk to the parents when we have problems with their child or when incidents take place during the school day, however, we have to keep a fluid communication at all times and share with the families their children’s milestones within the development itself and the learning and autonomy.

We can also offer them some guidelines about how to nourish and foster their children’s own growth. All this makes us think of the pick-ups as an individual and gradual moment that allow us to minister to all families. 

The moments when we say goodbye to the children and their families should make us look forward to the next day’s meeting (López, 2004). 

References 

Herranz, R. L. (2004). ” La entrada y salida” en la escuela. Aula de infantil, 18, 28-29. 

Ritscher, P. (2009). Sobre las propias piernas. Infancia: educar de 0 a 6 años, (115), 17-20. 

Authorship

Susana Lorenzo, Sara Perales y Lucía Prieto, 2020.

Categories
Early Childhood Education

Family-School communication

Children’s education involves different educational agents, mainly the family and the school. For this reason, it is especially important that there is a good relationship based on communication between both, since this way they are jointly involved in their development and can exchange information about them, their progress, their difficulties, their activities outside of school … A way for the teacher to understand the context of the child and for the family to get to know the person in charge of the child’s education, as well as the things that happen within the educational center.

Everyday life has moments that promote communication between family and school, and, according to Arnaiz (2012), it allows improving the quality of the child’s identity and responding to the child’s needs by reinforcing personal relationships between their personal references with the aim of knowing the child’s life more closely. 

 In this case we are going to focus on the moments of entry and exit since, due to its informal nature and its frequency, it favors the exchange of relevant information about the child and its context. Some of the issues that may arise are: aspects related to health, conflicts, development of skills, behaviors, interests … It is very important that the teacher takes into account the lack of privacy at this time when transmitting certain information (both verbal and physical), the presence of the child and the sensitivity of the family (Menendez, Ruiz & Rebaque, 2002). 

Once we have contextualized what we understand by communication between family and school in moments of everyday life, we are going to present the analysis of the results of listening and observation. 

After analyzing the internship colleges we have been to, we can affirm that most centers do not promote communication with families, not even in everyday life. In the experiences we have had, communication is based on arranged meetings when there is a specific and clear problem, however, on a daily basis it is not considered or only superficially to deal with issues related to physical aspects (diarrhea, constipation, wounds, blows, sleep …). Therefore, we consider that they do not take advantage of the opportunities offered by daily life to communicate and consequently understand each other, know each other, support each other and jointly promote the optimal development of the child, as stated by Arnaiz (2012) and López-Herranz (2004). 

 However, due to what has been worked on the subject Psychoeducational Attention from 0 to 3 years and what was explained at the beginning of the document, the theory is far from the reality that the three of us have observed on this subject. 

Some example of how daily life can be carried out to promote communication between family and school and take advantage of the benefits it has, could be: avoiding that the entrances to the school are an exchange of children in which the family deposits their children in line and the teacher picks them up (in reverse at the exits), but there is a meeting between the agents in which they can have a conversation. Another possibility would be that the teacher shows interest and concern in knowing and understanding the contexts of each of her students, since we consider that one of the barriers that make communication difficult is that it is more difficult for families to take the step due to shyness or shame. 

On the other hand, one of us states that in one of the centers where she has carried out internships, communication between the family and the school is more common and is carried out naturally in everyday life. At the entrances to the classroom, the tutor goes out into the hall to receive children and families, greet them, chat with them and invite them to enter the classroom. Although it was more present, it is true that it did not develop in an individual way but rather globally because the teacher did not stop to talk with each one, only with those with whom it arose spontaneously or with whom she had to exchange some type of information. 

This is closer to what was worked in class since there is a closer and more frequent communication than in the first example. 

From all this, we conclude with the idea that Fabrés (2006) exposes by highlighting the importance of the way in which these moments are carried out since they define the interaction between both educational agents. 

References 

Arnáiz, V. (2012). ¿Cómo se cuida la identidad del niño en nuestra escuela? Aula de Infantil, 65, 27-28. 

Fabrés, M. (2006). En el día a día nada es banal, nada es rutina. In-fan-cia, 100, 14-17.   

López-Herranz, R. (2004). Aula de Infantil. Revista Aula de Infantil, 18 

Menendez, L., Ruiz, J.M. & Rebaque, M.O. (2002). La tutoría en educación infantil. Praxis. 

Authorship

Alejandra Massot, Leire Pérez y Rebeca Vega, 2020.

Categories
Early Childhood Education

Assembly

The assembly was created in order to provide a welcoming space for all children within the classroom. It is a specific place in the classroom that is intended for the meeting of the class group to discuss different interesting issues for the children or other more unpredictable aspects that may occur in the school. It is done daily, therefore, it can be said that the assemblies are included within the activities of the child’s daily life.

With this classroom routine, the aim is to build complicity relationships with the children, so that the teacher and the students get to know each other better and thus stimulate a more active participation in the knowledge construction.

However, the assemblies that take place in infant schools are usually developed through the performance of different individual micro-activities.

Therefore, it can be said that, at present, assemblies maintain an appearance of group activity when in fact they have a totally individual approach.

The activities required within an assembly can only be carried out by a specific child and are limited, among other things, to learning how to set thedate, tell a personal experience or observe the weather, reducing the possibilities of active participation by the rest of the students.

The rest of the classmates limit themselves to listening and observing what the other child is doing.Portillo (1997a;1997b; 2000) was one of the pioneers in our country in defending the usefulness of assemblies in the infant ́s stage.

According to this author, assemblies are a unique opportunity for children to develop their linguistic, social and civic competence, but she also states that attention should be paid to the organisation and usefulness of these kinds of routines, as they can also become a double-edged sword and be carried out in a way that is not appropriate and does not provide any educational value to the child.

As we mentioned earlier, the assembly is an activity that takes place every day in schools. This fact can cause it to become monotonous and repetitive, which can make the child lose interest in it and reduce the possibilities for him/her to develop certain communication and social skills, and therefore lose its educational usefulness.

So, the teacher must try, on the one hand, to create an atmosphere within the assembly that allows the civic and social development of the child and, on the other hand, to manage the communication of the group by creating opportunities that allow all the children to express themselves freely.

References 

Portillo, M.C. (1997a; 1997b; 2000). La asamblea de clase en EI: Un espacio para aprender a hablar y para construir(nos). En Sánchez Rodríguez, S. y González Aragón, C. (2016), La asamblea de clase en Educación Infantil: Un espacio para crecer como grupo(pp. 137-138). Departamento de Didáctica de la Lengua y la Literatura. Facultad de CC. de la Educación. Campus Río San Juan. Universidad de Cádiz. Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Andalucía. Revista Iberoamericana de Educación. Recuperado el 15 de noviembre del 2020 en: https://rieoei.org/historico/documentos/rie71a06.pdf

Authorship

Carlota Argos Bolado y Laura Jiménez Carrancedo, 2020.

Categories
Early Childhood Education

Feeding II

Eating not only consists on satisfying the physiological needs to achieve physical development, but this is the moment in which you can dialogue, acquire habits, attitudes, develop cultural and social skills, among others. That is why, at school, the dining rooms, schedules, spaces and planning must be adapted, so that children of the first age are stimulated and can appreciate the mealtimes as pleasant periods and of relationships with others.

Infants need to practice, learn new things, help, and collaborate in this moment. When they are very young, little by little they acquire abilities to bite and chew. Also, they require hands to grab food, touching and playing with food is the best way for them to learn and know different things. At the same time, they imitate their close people, so it is important to know which example we are transmitting.

It should be noted that it is not only important that the food provided is healthy to have a healthy development, but that the eating moments should be considered as educational spaces in which the boys and girls talk with their families, their classmates, their teachers, etc., the areas should be quiet and spacious, everyone can participate according to their abilities (setting the table, collecting the dirty plates, helping), and where the opinions and/or tastes of each one are taken into account (choose with whom sit, what to eat and how much to eat, even though all this is supervised by an adult).

Now, it is important to take into account the environment, the presentation of the dishes, the proximity of the silverware or things that are needed, the placement and size of the chairs and tables according to the age of the children. In this way, they don’t need to constantly depend on an adult to get comfortable or to pick up a fork. This is how they can acquire autonomy, in addition to being able to experiment and know their surroundings.

Considering the role of teachers, it is necessary to say that they should see this lunch time as one more educational process that takes place in the school. The person in charge of the dining room must know the students perfectly, in such a way that they know what they like, if they have any allergies, their personal situation, etc., in addition, to be able to talk with their families regularly. It should be said that communication is essential at this time, the adult has to present the food, explain what there is to eat (whether it is meat or fish), what silverware we need and what rules must be done and respected.

References 

Geis, A. (2016). La hora del almuerzo en la escuela infantil: Un momento educativo. Aula de Infantil, (87), 9-13. https://bit.ly/3fmjQSc

Guia Infantil (Ed.) (2016). Alimentación para niños de 2 a 3 años. https://bit.ly/3fk2bKZ

Organización Mundial para la Educación Preescolar (Ed.) (s.f). Aprender a comer en la Escuela Infantil. Experiencias Educativas. https://bit.ly/332xCVg

Pequelandia (Ed.) (2017). La alimentación del niño de 1 a 3 años: Consejos para padres. Escuelas Infantiles Privadas. https://bit.ly/2KkO3FU

Authorship

Noelia Puente Revilla y Cristina Vela Castillo, 2020.

Categories
Early Childhood Education

Feeding I

School feeding 0-3 years

Feeding is a daily activity that takes place every day. As this is an activity that is present so many times in our lives, adults tend not to give it the importance it really has, seeing these moments as a process of ingesting food for survival or necessity, losing the pleasure of eating, relating to others or learning (Ritscher, 2010).

At these moments, different things always happen, because as Rabotti (2020) mentions that relationships, words, games or feelings, among others are intertwined. For this, it is important to pay special attention, even to the smallest details, and to accompany the children in these acts to promote their autonomy and personal development. For it, a series of criteria will be defined below which, from our point of view, will define this act in a kindergarten (0-3 years).

First, it is essential that children’s schools for 0-3 years have their own kitchen. In this way, children will be able to eat freshly made and homemade food and not food provided by a caterer because it is pre-cooked food. In addition, kitchens can be used as a kind of “laboratory” where they can interact with the food. In this way, lunchtime will be a moment to long awaited and with which they will enjoy (Ritscher, 2010). Besides, the kindergarten has to provide quality food, that is, it must promote and encourage healthy eating.

On the other hand, attention should also be paid to the atmosphere surrounding this activity, avoiding and removing all types of noise conflicts, unpleasant moments, televisions or toys, among others, because this can lead to children being distracted and they don’t want to eat.

Another important aspect to have in mind is the furniture and cutlery. These should be adjusted to the size of the children in order to not hinder the process of eating.

Finally, it is advisable to organise the children in shifts (depending on the number of children) so that the teacher can give the necessary time to this event, as well as establish a bond of trust with each of the children through interaction between them. In this way, lunchtime will become a learning space where children will have the opportunity to develop and promote their autonomy, communication and relationships with their teacher and their schoolmates (Sensat, 2019). 

On the other hand, the activities of daily life at school are quite different from reality, being much faster and more stressful (Ritscher, 2010). Besides, adults have this act internalized, so they don’t tend to capture the processes and successes of children. Therefore, it is important to plan intentionally what we want to happen (Blasi, 2003). 

In the same way, it is important that meals time resemble the children’s subjective time. Therefore, the moments related to feeding have to be flexible, adapting and adjusting to the individual rhythms of each child (Fabrés, 2006). Besides, meal time shouldn’t be longer than necessary because some children can’t sit in a chair for a long time, others need little time to eat, while others need more time to carry out this act (Thió, 2011). 

Therefore, the teacher has to take care of their behavior and he has to adapt to the needs of each child at lunchtime. Patience and empathy are attitudes you have to have. It is important that during the meal, the teacher interacts with the child, explaining at all times what is being done. Besides, it is essential that if any pact is made with the child, it is fulfilled because the child may feel cheated (Thió, 2011). In the same way, the teacher doesn’t have to focus only on whether the child has eaten everything, he has to focus more on how the child is eating in order to know what are your achievements and difficulties for helping you (Ritscher, 2010). Finally, it is important to let the children experiment, let them decide how to eat, as well as serve their own food. Therefore, it is necessary to let them free because in this way, the memento of the meal will be fun, entertaining and attractive (Thió, 2011).     

References 

Blasi, M. (2003). La vida cotidiana de 0 a 6 años. Aula de Infantil, 11. 5-10. 

Fabrés, M. (2020). En el día a día nada es banal, nada es rutina. Revista In-fan-cia, 100, 14-17.

Ritscher, P. (2010). Comer con todo detalle. Infancia: Educar de 0 a 6 años. 119, 25-27. 

Sensat, R. (2019). Una mirada a las rutinas cotidianas. Infancia en Europa hoy. Infancia, 1.

Thió, C. (2011). La comida más allá de la nutrición: autonomía, autoestima, responsabilidad. Aula de Infantil, 59, 44-45.

Authorship

Raquel Gómez Ruiz y María Cristina Ocejo Arce, 2020.