Start the beautiful process of helping the child identify and share their feelings.
What’s it all about
First Years is an innovative education tool to help children develop social and emotional life skills in the first years of their life. Designed to support caregivers and educators in understanding and regulating children’s emotions, “First Years” offers a comprehensive approach to nurturing healthy interactions
Follow the steps
Observe the child’s behaviour, what are they telling you?
As an adult, you may respond in different ways, consider the various options before taking action.
Refection helps us better understand the situation before deciding how best to respond.
For every action there is an outcome. Observer the child’s response to your action.
Finally we reflect on how we feel having travelled the journey
Overview
“First Years” are designed for both adults and young children (0-5 years) to foster self-regulation skills, emotional development to help us live a happy life.
Building on a methodology created by Relationships are Forever Foundation, in collaboration with The Childhood Hub the ‘First Year’ will help to connect with children.
In Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings or within families, adult caregivers play a pivotal role in nurturing the social and emotional skills of young children. By guiding children through recognising and managing their feelings and behaviours, adults lay the foundation for lifelong emotional well-being and social competence.
The cards help to develop one’s ability to reflect, make choices and build meaningful relationships with themselves, their children and families.
Would you be willing to use cards and share these techniques with children to support their development in the first years of their life?
The stages in the process
“First Years” may be used with your children and by people in the helping professions as a toolbox to coach & help children.
They are versatile, and applicable at any stage of a child’s development. They facilitate the creation of a nurturing environment where caregivers can reflect on the child’s feelings and behaviours, observe their actions and responses, and understand the outcomes of their experiences.
The images on the cards aid in processing, while the questions on the back prompt reflection, analysis, evaluation of feelings, behaviours, and outcomes.
Professionals and educators should use their skills to introduce the cards well, connect with children, and use them in ways that suit each child, while ensuring that caregivers also understand and connect with the technique before implementing it.
Each card is designed to facilitate reflection, analyses and critically evaluate feelings, behaviours and outcomes.
Here is an example from “First Years” cards. The cards are colour coded to reflect the phase.
Each card has a key text and picture to help visualise the message. The back of the cards contains a list of questions intended to make you think and talk about, the last point on the card is a reflection on a possible way forward.
