Symbolic gesturing: creating opportunities for emotional connections between practitioners and infants in day care

ABSTRACT

This article reports on how symbolic gesturing was applied in a nursery setting. Forms of signing systems have been well documented as contributing to communication, predominately used alongside speech when there is a different mother tongue or a physical impairment [Goodwyn, S. W., & Acredolo, L. P. (1993). Symbolic gesture versus word: Is there a modality advantage for onset of symbol use? Child Development, 6, 688–701]. Symbolic Gesturing (SG) is an emerging area to support pre-verbal infants in communicating more effectively. In this article, SG was evaluated as way of reflecting and developing practitioner’s emotional responses and initiations with the infants in their care. The narratives of three practitioners using SG were gathered over several months and revealed how SG created further opportunities for reflection regarding the emotional relationships with infants they cared for. SG was considered a valuable approach to enhancing the emotional interactional connections with infants, resulting in closer, more attuned relationships.

KEYWORDS:

• Symbolic gesturing
• infants
• day care
• practitioner
• biographical research

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amanda Norman

Amanda Norman is a senior lecturer in education at the University of Winchester. She predominately teaches in childhood with an early years focus, leading on play, international perspectives and child health modules. Her research areas are attachment and pedagogies of care with infants. Her current focus is on researching narratives and biographies of practitioners and parents, informing practice and policy makers. Jenny Byrne is an associate professor in education at the University of Southampton. Since joining in 2000 she has taught science and led both primary and secondary science PGCE courses. Her current focus is on masters and research students, with research interests in the affective and cognitive development and their impact on learning and health. She also has specialist interest in biographical studies, teaching and researching in this area.