Social interaction skills
A young infant goes on a tour of the room in a caregiver’s arms to greet and hear the names of some other infants.
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Hold an infant securely in your arms so he/she can see into your room (not on his/her back, looking up). Take a brief tour to meet several other infants in your room. Focus on infants who are alert and engaged in an activity. Emphasize that everyone has a name. Introduce the infant you are carrying to the infant engaged in an activity. Example: “This is James. He is having a snack. James, this is Samantha. She is going around our room to meet some friends today.” Wave at the infant engaged in the activity without compromising your firm hold on the infant in your arms. Walk slowly so the infant has a good chance to look at people and activities in your setting. As you walk to meet another infant, talk about activities or people or objects the infant seems to be looking at. Conclude the tour with a brief summary of who the infant met and what they were doing.
Social interaction skills
Older infants participate in a brief hello song and hand wave that recognizes each infant in the gathering.
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Invite several infants to join you for a hello song. Explain that we are going to sing a song about each of us. Begin by pointing to an infant in the gathering and saying his/her name. Example: “This is Makayla. Let’s all wave hello to Makayla!” For each infant in the gathering, offer a big smile and wave of your hand as you sing the following words to a tune of your choice:
Encourage infants to participate by waving to the named peer, saying “hello,” and/or singing along. Acknowledge different forms of infant participation in this brief session, including watching you and others.
Social interaction skills
Older infants in a small gathering practice identifying an infant named by the caregiver.
None
Invite 4–5 infants to help you find an infant in a small gathering. Say the name of an infant in the gathering and ask where the infant is. Example: “Do you see Ethan? Where is Ethan?” Encourage infants to point to the named peer and for the named peer to wave hello with his/her hand. You may wish to demonstrate waving hello in the first or second “finding” of an infant. Offer a big smile and enthusiastic response to “finding” the infant you name. Example: “Here is Ethan! We found Ethan! Ethan is waving hello to us!”
Immediately after an infant is “found,” encourage infants to say the name of the child. Example: “Who did we just find?” Lead infants in saying the name. Emphasize that we are saying names. Example: “Ethan is the name of our friend. Everyone has a name.”
After all infants in the gathering have been “found,” say your name as someone to find. Example: “Where is Miss Becky? Do you see Miss Becky?” If this request seems especially puzzling to some infants, promptly wave your hand and repeat your name. Example: “Here is Miss Becky. I am Miss Becky! I am waving to you!” Conclude the session by reminding infants that each of us has a name.
The activity options promote the idea that each child has a name. Infants should not be expected to remember each name. The hello element of each option is a way to recognize the infant as well as the infant’s name.
The Option 1 tour of a room is a variation of a Block 1, Option 1 activity in which a caregiver describes parts of a room to an infant. In the current option, the caregiver walks with a young infant securely in his/her arms to meet some other infants in the room. Pay attention to what the infant seems to be looking at so your description focuses on the infant’s interest. Consistently say the name of other infants met during the brief tour. Young infants will not understand most of the words you say, but a repetitive routine of saying names can help support the infant’s general awareness that people have names.
In Option 2, infants will enjoy hearing their name in the song you offer and being the recipient of an enthusiastic hello wave. This option is a variation of a Block 6, Option 3 activity that invited infants to use a teddy bear to wave to a peer. The current version does not include a teddy bear and encourages infants to directly wave to a peer as part of a brief hello song. Anticipate different types of infant participation. Infants may want you to lead a second round of the song and waving. The first round of the activity may serve as a demonstration of what to do in a second round.
Anticipate that in Option 3, the named infant will be eager to identify himself/herself. An infant’s self-regulation skills are at an early stage of development that does not support “sitting still” while others find you in the gathering. Look at other infants in the group when you ask the whereabouts of a specific child, and then look at the named child when his/her presence is identified. Some infants may not readily identify themselves, perhaps because their family calls them by a nickname not used in your room or the infant is still learning his/her name. Supportively remind the infant of his/her name. Also, many infants will not know the names of other infants in the gathering. Repeat the names of infants several times when each is “found.”
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: sheer scarves
Provide several scarves for older infants to use in “hiding” from a caregiver and peers. Say the child’s name when he/she removes the scarf from his/her face and encourage the infant to say his/her name.
Materials Needed: sheer scarf
Invite all the children in your care to participate in Option 3. Older toddlers and children may enjoy clapping to the simple rhythm during the song. After the song, invite one child at a time to hide under a scarf. Ask “Where is (name of child)?” Toddlers and older children can say their name as they remove the scarf. Infants and young toddlers will delight in playing this version of the Peekaboo game.
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