What makes a child feel understood?

The educator learns to read the child’s signals and satisfy his or her needs without delay.  

There are various individual signs of fatigue, frustration and hunger which can be seen in children. For example, for those who are already toilet trained, the need to use a bathroom is an important signal that educators should be aware of.  

Of especially high importance are those signs which indicate pain. A child should be able to understand when he or she is in pain and may also, depending on the level of development, identify where in the body the pain is located (Blakemore, 2005). 

Congruence can be achieved by allowing the educator to fully engage with the child. This requires a high educator-child ratio, good organization of the daily routine between the team of educators within the group and ideally the settling in a time when the children are the most engaged. That way the educator can fully embrace a new child while ensuring that the rest of the group does not miss out on this process.