Resources

Simple Interactions Tool

Authors: Dr. Junlei Li, Tom Akiva, and Dana Winters
Publish Date: 2018

The Simple Interactions Tool provides a common, descriptive language to talk about interactions in practice. It serves as a visual representation, highlighting the four dimensions of developmental interactions: Connection, Reciprocity, Inclusion, and Opportunity to Grow. The Tool is intended for use in conversations (one-to-one and in the community) regarding what the practitioners noticed in ordinary interaction moments.

Learn More

To learn more, visit the Simple Interactions website.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: He Talked to Us Honestly about Difficult Subjects

Author: Fred Rogers Productions
Publish Date: 2018

Mister Rogers knew that children are very much aware of what’s going on around them, especially when it’s sad or scary. He helped children know – and perhaps, more importantly, adults too – that feelings don’t last forever. Sad feelings will pass, and there will be happy times again.

“The very same people who are sad sometimes are the very same people who are glad sometimes.”

Learn More

To learn more, visit the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood website.

Talking with Children about Difficult Things
in the News

Authors: Fred Rogers Institute
Publish Date: 2018

It can feel overwhelming to talk to a child about difficult things that are happening in the news. Remember that what the child needs more than anything is a supportive adult and it is your being there that matters most.

“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for our children (and for each other) is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” – Fred Rogers

Learn More

To learn more, visit the Fred Rogers Institute website.

Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships: Working Paper No. 1

Author: Harvard University Center on the Developing Child
Publish Date: 2004

Growth-promoting relationships are based on the child’s continuous give-and-take (“serve and return” interaction) with a human partner who provides what nothing else in the world can offer – experiences that are:

  • individualized to the child’s unique personality style;

  • that build on his or her own interests, capabilities, and initiative;

  • that shape the child’s self-awareness; and

  • that stimulate the growth of his or her heart and mind.

Learn More

To learn more, visit the Harvard University Center on the Developing Child website.