{"id":2338,"date":"2015-01-15T10:28:45","date_gmt":"2015-01-15T10:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/veipd.org\/earlyintervention\/?p=2338"},"modified":"2021-10-15T18:07:16","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T18:07:16","slug":"seize-the-opportunity-to-stand-beside-the-parent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.veipd.org\/earlyintervention\/2015\/01\/15\/seize-the-opportunity-to-stand-beside-the-parent\/","title":{"rendered":"Seize the Opportunity to Stand Beside the Parent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why do we always sit on the floor?\"Woman<\/em><\/h2>\n

You know, when you think about it, it’s a really good question. Adults plopping on the floor in strangers’ homes is not normal. However, sitting on the floor to play with young children is pretty normal for folks who specialize in early childhood.\u00a0Being on the floor allows us to be at the child’s eye level, giving us easy access to the child and the child equal access to us. Here’s the kicker, though – if we are providing family-centered intervention, shouldn’t we be sitting where the family sits when we aren’t there?<\/p>\n

Think about it – when you’re not in the home, do you ever wonder how often families really “get down on the floor” with their children. Maybe the real question is this: Do families really need to sit on the floor to positively impact their children’s development? What do you believe?<\/p>\n

What I Believe<\/h2>\n

I believe that floor play is only one of the many ways that families interact. In reality, there are some families who love to play together with toys, crawling around on the floor playing hide-and-seek or chasing balls. There are other families who think that toys are for the children to play with, that adults don’t do that. In the middle somewhere are families who play with their children on their laps or when the child brings a toy to them while they’re sitting on the couch. What ALL of these families do, though, is take care of their children – change diapers, feed them, dress and bathe them, calm them when they cry, and take them places. These caregiving routines<\/a> are important and probably happen much more frequently than toy play on the floor.<\/p>\n

That doesn’t mean that floor play isn’t important – it definitely is because it offers lots of fun, stimulating learning opportunities for the child. It can also offer a great way for the parent and child to interact and enjoy each other – if it’s something the parent does or is interested in doing. The key here is that floor play is only one of the MANY activities that families do with their infants and toddlers. If we really want to be effective as early interventionists, then it makes sense that we think about toy play <\/a>on the floor as just one of our many options to explore with families – not necessarily the “thing” we do at every visit.<\/p>\n

If Not Playing on the Floor, then What Else Do We Do?<\/h2>\n

I’m not advocating that you abandon toy play or never plop on the floor again because that’s not realistic or even necessary. I encourage you to broaden your perspective on what you can do during visits. A recent study found that we are great at toy play, but when it comes to intervention in other routines, we tend to just talk about them rather than joining them. We talk about what’s going wrong with getting the baby\u00a0into in his car seat, rather than walking out to the car to observe and problem-solve in the moment. We talk about how the child loves to play with his siblings in the afternoon but we never change our schedule\u00a0to join that special time.<\/p>\n

We know that adults learn best<\/a> when they have the opportunity to practice, problem-solve, and plan in real time. When you can coach a parent\u00a0through a problematic routine or during a special family activity, that’s when the magic happens and families become more able to use intervention strategies with less stress. When we get off the floor, join caregiving routines, and help parents find ways to be playful and supportive during real activities, we’ve provided meaningful intervention\u00a0that they’re more likely to feel confident using when we aren’t there<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are a few tips for making all of this happen:<\/p>\n

Seize the opportunity to stand beside the parent<\/strong> – When the parent mentions a different routine, don’t just talk about it. Ask if she will show it to you. Stand beside her and collaborate in that moment. Use your coaching<\/a> skills and work together to come up strategies that really matter.<\/p>\n

Focus on parent-child interactions instead of toy play<\/strong> – It’s a big shift for some of us. Wrapping your brain around supporting parent-child interactions, with you playing a background role, is very different from arriving at the home to teach the child. Toy play might still be a way to motivate the child, and it might still be fun for the parent too, but remember that it’s just one piece of the pie. Focus your energy on building playful and supportive interactions<\/a> across a variety of routines, whenever possible.<\/p>\n

Pause…before you sit<\/b> – When you walk into the home, it might be your reflex to greet the family then sit down on the floor. It certainly was mine when I started a visit<\/a>. Instead, pause before you kick off your shoes. Ask the parent what she would like to do today. Offer other ideas. Ask what she would be doing right now if you weren’t there – then ask if you can do that. Even if you end up on the floor, taking that moment to pause, think and behave differently<\/a> will help you ease into a more broad way of thinking about your role during the intervention visit.<\/p>\n

Broadening your perspective really begins with how you think about your purpose and what you do during visits. You set the tone for how each visit works. You don’t have to sit on the floor to provide good intervention. It’s not the main place where children learn and it’s not the only place where parents and children interact. It’s just one of many activities during which you could really make a difference<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Do you have a good example of intervention that DIDN’T occur while sitting on the floor? <\/strong><\/p>\n

What are your thoughts about why we rely on floor play?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why do we always sit on the floor? You know, when you think about it, it’s a really good question. Adults plopping on the floor in strangers’ homes is not normal. However, sitting on the floor to play with young children is pretty normal for folks who specialize in early childhood.\u00a0Being on the floor allows […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[139,7,10,12,14],"tags":[22,35,43,46,48,50,54,59,62,79,80,86,100,112],"class_list":["post-2338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all","category-coaching-practices","category-engaging-collaborating-with-families","category-intervention-visits","category-practical-strategies-for-intervention","tag-adult-learning","tag-coaching","tag-daily-routines","tag-development","tag-early-childhood","tag-early-intervention","tag-embedding","tag-family-centered-practices","tag-home-visits","tag-natural-environment","tag-natural-learning-opportunities","tag-parent-professional-partnership","tag-routines-based","tag-strategies","clearfix"],"yoast_head":"\n"How to Seize the Opportunity to Stand Beside a Parent"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do families (or practitioners) need to sit on the floor during intervention? 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