Ten Principles Of Child Care

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The textbook for this course, Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers, is based on ten principles for child care that are outlined by researcher Magda Gerber in the 1970’s. The ten principles are based on a philosophy of respect. In addition to the ten principles, a caregiver should know the “Three-R’s” for interaction. The Three R’s are respectful, responsive and reciprocal. The first principle states to, “Involve Infants and Toddlers in Things That Concern Them.” The caregiver’s primary goal should be to keep the child involved in what is happening to the child’s body. When you involve a child in certain activities this will increase the child’s attention span, body awareness, and cooperation. For example, try involving your child in bath time. Instead of giving the child a toy to play with let the child know what you are doing. Doing this will give the child an education in human relations, setting the foundation for her to build for her life. “Invest in Quality Time,” is the second principle. This means that the caregiver should be fully present with the task at hand, the caregiver’s thought should not be elsewhere. Gerber stated that there are two types of quality time, want-something quality time and want-nothing quality time. The “want-something” quality time is when the caregiver pays attention to the child and also tries to get the child to pay attention in return. The caregiver also explain each step they are taking to the child. The “want-nothing” quality time is when