Supporting Self-Regulation in the Early Years

What is self-regulation, why does it matter, and how can we help young children develop it?

This practical webinar, hosted by Sarah Emerson, is designed for early years practitioners who want to better understand children’s behaviour and discover approaches that support self-regulation.Together, we’ll explore how regulation develops in the early years and what educators can do to create environments where children feel safe, supported and ready to learn. We’ll look beyond behaviour as something to be managed and consider what it can tell us about a child’s experiences, thoughts, feelings and level of dysregulation. 

What we'll explore:

• Understanding self-regulation — what it really means and how it develops in young children.
• Different types of regulation — including emotional and sensory regulation.
• Co-regulation — why children need supportive relationships and responsive adults before they can regulate independently.
• Predictable environments — how consistency, connection and a sense of security can support regulation.
• Inhibitory control — practical ways to help children develop this important skill.
• Intrinsic motivation — what research tells us about how children develop internal motivation and why rewards and punishments can work against the development of self-regulation.
• Practical classroom strategies — creating a toolbox of approaches that children can draw on when things become challenging.

Self-regulation develops over time through relationships, experience, practice and the support of responsive adults. This webinar will help you think differently about children's behaviour and consider what children need in order to develop regulation, rather than simply how we can make behaviour stop.