Scenario 1

Luke (2.5 years) is crying because he's hungry. The best way to acknowledge and reflect his feelings would be to:

  1. put your hands on your hips, put a stern look on your face and say: 'That's enough of that!' in a loud voice.
  2. look concerned, squat down to his level and say: 'You're hungry Luke. Let's go and get you some food.'

Answer

Answer 1

Option 2 is the correct response. Speaking loudly is likely to upset Luke even further. You should show that you acknowledge and accept Luke’s feelings and you're willing to help.

Scenario 2

Thomas (4 years) is laughing very loudly in the 3 - 5’s Room. The other children are looking at him. The best way to respond to Thomas would be:

  1. smile and say: ‘You sound happy today Thomas.’
  2. give him a stern look and say: ‘Quiet voices are used inside, Thomas.’

Answer

Answer 2

Option 1 is the correct response. This shows you acknowledge and accept Thomas's feelings and you're happy that he's happy. You wouldn't want Thomas to think that you're angry because he is happy.

Scenario 3

Kristen (4.2 years) is stomping her feet and pulling a very grumpy face. The best way to acknowledge her feelings would be:

  1. smile and use a cheerful tone of voice to say: ‘Happy people have more fun Kristen!’
  2. look concerned and caring as you say: ‘You look angry Kristen, would you like to tell me why?’

Answer

Answer 3

Option 2 is the correct response. It shows that you acknowledge and accept Kristen’s feelings and you're interested in finding out about her concerns.

The other response could tell Kristen that she's inferior in some way because she's feeling angry.