A Unique Child: Practice in pictures - mealtimes

Orson (16 months) and his mum are at the table having lunch together. He is feeding himself well, using his fingers as well as a spoon and a fork. He chats with mum using gesture and a stream of sounds, some of them very word-like, with different intonation and expression. Mum understands him well and takes the conversation seriously. She knows when he is asking for a drink and tunes in with 'joint attention' when his interest is taken by things in the room, such as the light above him.

GOOD PRACTICE

1. For a toddler like Orson, mealtimes are an enjoyable learning experience.

Not only is he building up physical skills of efficiently getting food to his mouth, he is also learning about the routines and rituals of mealtimes and the social aspects of sharing food.

At the same time, he is exploring and practising his increasing vocabulary of words and gestures while taking part in a genuine conversation with someone who is interested in what he has to say. He now knows that his family are so tuned in to him that they can pick up on his gestures and sounds, to make sense of what he is communicating - and if they don't, they will persevere until they do!

They are also interested in what interests him, so they turn their attention to the everyday things that fascinate him, such as the light.

2. Pointing is an important part of the communication process.

Orson knows that he can indicate he wants something by pointing to it. He gestures to the kitchen and mum is able to interpret this, along with the sounds he babbles, to understand that he wants a drink. This kind of pointing is known as 'imperative'. Orson is also able to use pointing to direct the interest of another person towards something. This 'declarative' pointing comes at a later stage when the child has a 'theory of mind' that enables them to share joint attention.

Not only can Orson shift attention between his mum and the light, he now knows that he can share that attention with his mum. Babies can begin to do this from around nine months, and although Orson now has some word-like sounds, he still makes good use of whole-body gestures to communicate his interest. But all this would be wasted if the adults and family members around him were not tuned in enough to his motivations and previous experiences to be able to understand him.

The attachment process has a big part to play in this. Orson has the security of knowing that his important primary and secondary attachment figures (both in and out of the home) know him well enough to give him positive responses. This not only ensures that his needs are met, it also helps his learning. He relies on the feedback from others more experienced than himself to move his learning forward and, just as importantly, to keep him motivated and positively disposed to want to learn more.

3. Most babies begin to say their first words between 12 and 18 months, and it is important to remember just how variable this can be.

'First words' are special and personal and can give us insight into our children's view of the world. Just one word, such as 'dada', 'dog', or 'milk', can carry a wealth of meaning, and only someone who knows the child well will have a grasp of the richness of experience in that one word.

Sharing information and delighting with parents about babies' first words is a two-way process, and is just as important if the family's first language is not English. Collections of first words can tell us a lot about what the child is noticing and how they are making sense of their world. They are usually about family members, daily routines, food, toys, pets, etc - all the things that babies are interested in and want to label as soon as possible.

Linguists describe these groups of words as 'semantic fields', which quickly grow to include the important words that young children need to get people to do things for them, such as 'up', 'down' and 'gone'. These words show how the child is embarking on what Marian Whitehead (in Developing Language and Literacy with Young Children) describes as 'the lifetime study of human relationships and people management'.

4. Orson holds a fork and spoon, but uses his fingers dextrously to feed himself. Using utensils in this meaningful way is important, as it allows him to 'play' with the experience while his physical skills are developing.

Being able to use a knife and fork is often used as an indicator not just of physical development but also of social skills, as it has been traditionally linked with judgements about good manners and politeness.

Knives and forks are a peculiarly western custom, however, and not a mark of 'civilised' behaviour. We all have times when using our fingers makes more sense! Providing utensils gives Orson the choice to use them, but there is no suggestion that using his fingers is not also appropriate.

5. Relaxed mealtimes are a perfect time for babies and young children to learn and experiment with their physical, social and language skills.

This is true whether a child is eating with the family, on their own at home with a parent or carer, or having lunch in a group setting. As well as ensuring the nutritional value of the food we provide, we need to ensure that mealtimes are socially, emotionally and linguistically valuable, too. This can seem like a tall order when you add health and safety factors and organisational issues as well, but that's why we need to put mealtimes at the heart of our planning.

HOW DO YOU:

- manage the organisation of this important time so that you can be relaxed and available to children?

- make sure that your mealtime routines are relevant to the needs of all your children now, and are not just 'how we've always done it'?

- provide children with choices - about food, the pace at which they eat, who they sit with, the utensils they use, and so on?

- support the work of key carers to ensure the emotional well-being of their children at mealtimes, making the most of opportunities to nurture and build attachments?

- encourage everyone to see the value of relaxed mealtimes, with opportunity for conversation based on the interests of the children?

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

- Film notes to 'Supporting Early Literacy' by Jennie Lindon

- Film notes to 'Attachment and Holistic Development - the first year' by Anne O'Connor

- Marion Whitehead, Developing Language and Literacy with Young Children (Paul Chapman)

- 'Talk to Your Baby', www.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbaby/index.html

Further information: The stills are taken from Siren Films' 'Supporting Early Literacy'. For more information, visit www.sirenfilms.co.uk or call 0191 232 7900

LINKS TO THE EYFS GUIDANCE
- UC Child Development
- PR 2.3 Supporting Learning
- PR 2.4 Key Person
- L&D Communication Language and Literacy