I have frequently written about consistency as the foundation of mathematical concepts in infancy.  How can we explain this to parents so it makes sense to them?  Sometimes it is best to model behaviors for others so they intuit what we are doing and adopt the behaviors themselves.

Therefore, when an infant is dropped off in the morning, greet the child the same way each and every day.  This consistency will be communicated to the parents, simply by doing it.  Ask the parents the same series of questions each morning, in the same order, if possible, to model the same thing.

As time passes this subject would be a great idea for a newsletter.  You could explain the ideas that infants learn about sequencing through the sequential patterns of the events of their days.  This helps support something that we as ECE professionals have known forever; that consistent care matters.

If you think about it, a baby’s day is broken down into fairly simply parts.  There is eating, there is diapering, there is cuddling, there is bathing, and there is sleep.  How do we help babies begin to understand the sequences of those events?  Clearly, consistency is at the root of their understandings.

If you have a sequenced series of behaviors associated with diaper-changing, for example, the babies in your care will come to expect those behaviors to happen in exactly that sequence.  This is how they learn that after they are put up on the changing table, the teacher tickles their nose, puts her hand on her belly, tells her that it is changing time, and then lifts her legs.  If this sequence of behaviors repeats itself every time a diaper is changed, the infant will begin to expect the events to happen in a certain sequence and then when those expectations are met, they build trust with their caregiver and their environment.

This is one (of many) reasons that the primary caregiving model is so critical to the care of infants.  Even if we try to do things like the other teachers in the room, we don’t usually do things exactly the same.  These differences can be really great for older children as they learn to be flexible and adaptable, but can be tough on infants.

We want the infants in our care to learn to trust.  The do this by consistency of routine and caregiving.  This concept of consistency can be clearly described to parents to help them understand that we are thinking about the earliest math concepts when working with their babies and they can support the same emerging understandings by creating consistency in their homes, as well.

This excerpt comes from one of the Infant math lessons called “Diaper Time: On/Off”.

Young infants understand OFF and ON though routines.  The daily routine of diapering is a great time to practice OFF and ON.  Before you pick the infant up to place her on the changing table, say or sing “(Child’s name) time for a fresh diaper” hold your arms out toward the infant and touch her hands, encouraging the infant to reach for you.  As you place the infant on the changing table say “(child’s name) is ON the changing table.”  As you remove the diaper say, “diaper is OFF.”  As you fasten the diaper say “diaper is ON.”   Hold your arms out toward the infant and touch her hands, encouraging the infant to reach for you.  As you pick the infant up, say “(child’s name) is OFF” of the changing table.”

Check out the Infant math lessons here.

Each personal care routine has its own rhythm depending on who is performing it.  At our house, bedtime rituals were very different if I was the one putting Noah to sleep or if Larry was.  Since I was nursing him, I sat in the rocking chair and fed him while listening to music.  Once he was drifting off, I placed him in his crib and snuck out of the room. If Larry was putting him to sleep, I would nurse him and then hand him off to Larry.  He read a book and then sang a song and then rocked him until he drifted off.  Once Noah fell asleep, he tucked him in and snuck out of the room.  Regardless of who was participating in the routine, Noah learned that the events of bedtime happened in a sequence, and that sequence was predictable.  He anticipated the rocking chair, the snuggling, the books, and the songs and came to expect them in that order.

These daily routines create patterns that infants recognize and anticipate.  The consistency of the patterns is important, as new parents learn once their infants show displeasure when their expectations are not met.  However, even the youngest children can be quite flexible and can adjust their expectations depending on who is providing for their personal care routines. (“My teacher is different than my mommy and she changes my diaper differently, but they each do it in a certain and predictable way.”)

It is important that we see the acquisition of early math skills as brain-based and innate for typically developing children.  The mathematical concepts of patterns and sequences described above are not taught outright; they occur naturally in the life of an infant and are internalized by the infant.  Consistency is the key and should be encouraged in all areas of personal care.

Dropping off a 6 week old baby at child care is harrowing, even for the most pragmatic of parents.  It may be a bit easier at 12 weeks, and again at 18 weeks, but no matter when it happens putting a baby in outside-of-the-home-or-family child care is hard.

How do you ease this transition for parents of babies?  Many mothers are still experiencing postpartum hormones which could make them weepy, excitable, exhausted, anxious, and fearful.  It is a biological imperative that the new mother will do anything to protect her newborn- and I mean anything.  It is the way nature has designed it throughout the animal kingdom.  Anything that can be perceived as threatening will be treated as such by the new parents.

So, we need to be NON-THREATENING.  Taking a newborn infant into our care must be treated with the utmost respect.  This is a huge leap of faith for parents.  They have to believe that you will love that baby, care for that baby, nurture that baby, love that baby as much as they do.  If they do not believe that, they will not be able to be productive at work anyway.  The baby will sense their anxiety and it will not work out well for anyone involved.

Child care should reflect home-life as much as feasibly possible.  For babies, this means being held, sung to, read to, kissed, snuggled, and cooed at. It also means consistency of routine.  Next week, let’s look at the consistency of a routine and how that related to the earliest mathematical experiences.

Think of one child you know who really struggles with change.  New transitions really set her off.  A day away from the playground may completely stress her out.  Now, multiply that by 20 or 30.  That is what December can be like for kids.  Change, inconsistency, built-up expectations, let-downs, and a whole lot of sugar.

Now, imagine your classroom as an island of calm and consistency.  Children arrive and play and have snack and nap.  They have expectations about their days and those expectations are met every day.  You are calm, they are calm, and everyone knows what is happening.  It is that easy.  Parents may not like it at first, but they will grow to love it.  They will know that their child will be well-taken care of just like the rest of the year and they will not have any additional burdens placed on them by their children’s school.  They will be thrilled when they find out that there is no cookie exchange, there is no holiday get-together, that they do not have to purchase special dress-up clothes for their children.  They will be thrilled when they realize that the religious holidays belong at home.

Now, if you run a faith-based program, you can still keep it simple,  Even if you do recognize the religious holidays, you do NOT have to go over the top.  Activities appropriate to the occasion as they arise from the children’s interests are perfectly acceptable.  Try not to have a party every day.  You will be glad you didn’t.