Approaches to Learning: Confidence & Risk-Taking

Children begin to build confidence through the everyday interactions they experience with their caregivers. These interactions form special relationships, which in turn build the “secure base” for children to take risks and try new experiences.

Indicators for children include:

• Cries and/or uses body language to signal and get needs met, e.g., averts gaze, arches back
• Explores new objects with eagerness, e.g., squeals and/or squeezes a toy
• Uses different approaches for accomplishing a simple task, e.g., reaching, kicking, vocalizing
• Attempts new skills on his or her own while “checking in” with a familiar adult, e.g., a new crawler begins to move, then turns toward the caregiver for reassurance before crawling away

Strategies for interaction

• Provide nurturing and consistent care in order to build the child’s self-confidence
• Create an environment where the child has access to age-appropriate toys
• Use nonverbal and verbal cues to encourage and support the child as he or she engages in a new activity, e.g., smile, nod, clap
• Provide support in new situations, while allowing the child room to explore new objects

Children begin to use their developing confidence to engage in simple risk-taking behavior as they physically explore their environment in the context of a secure relationship.

Indicators for children include:

• Begins to take great risks with little regard for danger, e.g., lunging off a couch to reach for an object
• Becomes more intentional and confident when playing and interacting, e.g., grabs, pushes, throws
• Uses trial and error to solve a problem, e.g., tries different angles when attempting to place a shape in a shape sorter

Strategies for interaction

• Provide an interesting and safe environment for the child to explore; remain watchful and intervene when needed to keep the child safe
• Recognize that the child needs time to adjust to new skills, e.g., the child can suddenly become frightened by his or her expanding capabilities
• Encourage the child to try new ways of doing things

Children increase their confidence in the context of a secure relationship, and begin to engage in more complex tasks and seek out new situations.

Indicators for children include:

• Plays and explores farther away from attachment figure; continues to “check in” for reassurance, e.g., plays across the room and glances toward caregiver, then re-engages in playing
• Seeks out assistance and reassurance from familiar others
• Demonstrates confidence in abilities and achievements, e.g., cheers or claps when accomplishing a goal such as completing a simple puzzle
• Joins in a new activity after cautiously observing at first

Strategies for interaction

• Remain available for the child during play; use reassuring cues to encourage the child to explore, e.g., smile, nod, and clap
• Provide materials and activities that are challenging but not frustrating, e.g., large blocks, a simple puzzle
• Be sensitive to the child’s temperament; recognize that the child may need some time to engage in a new experience; allow the child to observe until he or she is ready to take part

Children use their confidence to begin taking emotional risks in addition to physical risks, with support from their caregiver(s).

Indicators for children include:

• Attempts to independently resolve social conflicts without automatically running to the caregiver, e.g., tries to retrieve an object that was taken away by a peer
• Demonstrates eagerness and determination when problem- solving during new tasks, e.g., the child who pushes the caregiver’s hand away and refuses help until he or she is ready to ask for it

Strategies for interaction

• Validate the emotions the child is feeling, e.g., “I can see you are upset that your toy was taken away from you.”
• Model thoughtful and polite behavior through everyday interactions
• Provide the child with opportunities to problem-solve on their own, intervening only when the child appears to become frustrated and/or asks for help