Adult interaction is the key to measure a child’s development. It helps understand the importance of analysing children’s progress and achievement. All children are different and unique. Interaction helps children build stable, healthy and satisfying relationship and close bonding with their family, friends, classmates and care takers (social development). They learn to cooperate and work as part of team. Interaction creates awareness of a child’s development, strengths, needs, interest and most importantly in identifying areas of improvement, on the basis of which we can decide whether the child is ready for next activity and for planning further activities. Through numerous interactions children can be helped in making connections between familiar situations and new ones.
We need to ensure that games being provided are suitable per the child’s age. The environment needs to be examined and safe handling instructions are to be provided (Adventure play). Equipment provided should best support the child’s play (for some older children unable to ride a bicycle a tricycle may be used to strengthen skills). We also ensure that the children are aware of what is available and able to get their own choice of equipment and toys. Children need reassurance and support till they become confident.
Support and confidence building is also linked to their language development (for children who have some language delay or who do not speak the language of the setting). Children ask questions and want proper responses. We need to be active listener as it helps the child to communicate verbally and nonverbally, express ideas and thoughts. All this can lead to an improvement in vocabulary, knowledge skills (through nursery rhymes, words games) and children gaining confidence in their speaking abilities. We can strengthen our relationship with children by interacting and