Are we expecting too much from children, or have we become a little too attached to what they should be able to do?

From sitting through group time to navigating transitions and managing big feelings, there are a whole lot of expectations we place on children based on their age and what we think they should be capable of. In this episode, I'm unpacking why I prefer the term developmentally aligned expectations, how those little shoulds can get in the way of understanding behaviour, and how we can work out when to hold an expectation, scaffold towards it, or recognise that the expectation itself needs to shift.

You'll hear:

✨ Why developmentally aligned expectations encourage us to work with the child in front of us, rather than relying on what children of a particular age should be able to do

✨ How knowing a skill and being able to access it in the moment are two very different things

✨ How to decide when an expectation needs to hold, when a child needs more scaffolding, and when the expectation itself might need adjusting

✨ Why some of the expectations we place on entire groups of children might be contributing to the very behaviours we're finding difficult

We can hold high expectations for children while recognising what they're currently capable of. Sometimes that means offering more support, and sometimes it means questioning what we're asking of them in the first place.

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If you want to be able to understand the behaviour you're seeing, decide how to respond, and adapt your approach when things don't go to plan - without constantly questioning whether you're doing behaviour "right" - click here to join us!

Doors close on October 22.

EP 70 | Are We Expecting Too Much From Children? My Take on Developmentally Aligned Expectations

The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast

EP 70 | Are We Expecting Too Much From Children? My Take on Developmentally Aligned Expectations