Consider Zehra*

“Eighteen-month-old Zehra climbs the stairs to the diaper change table assisted by Darlene, an early childhood educator. Darlene and Zehra sing their special song as Zehra mounts the stairs; the same song they have used at each diaper change. Now Zehra gets a clean diaper and initiates the song to let Darlene know she is ready to be changed.

Her physical competency and sense of self are encouraged as she mounts the table on her own and lies down, rather than being lifted and put in place. The song calms Zehra as she transitions from playing to being cleaned. As part of the routine, Zehra hands the diaper to Darlene; in exchange, Darlene gives Zahra a cloth to wipe her hands. Darlene explains each step and Zehra now delights in indicating to Darlene what comes next” (McCain et al. p. 49).

*Excerpt, used with permission, from:

McCain, M.N, Mustard, J.F. & McCuaig, K. (2011) Early years study 3: Making decisions taking action (p. 49).Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation. https://earlyyearsstudy.ca/early-years-study-3/