Shy children's well-being in childcare

Attending childcare for the first time can be extra challenging for shy children. To support shy children's well-being as best as possible, the staff needs to recognize children’s needs in different situations. A good collaboration between parents and childcare staff is extra important when there are shy children in the group.

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Why is this important?

Shy children can show wariness, anxiety, and reticence in new situations like starting in childcare. These children have an increased risk for missing out in social interactions, especially in an environment such as childcare, where there is a large focus on play and friendship. A lot is already done to support children's needs when they start in childcare, but shy children often need a bit more help to have a good start in childcare.

This resource from FILIORUM - Centre for Research in Early Education and Care presents results from the research article Examining the longitudinal association between toddlers’ early shyness and their well-being during their first year in Norwegian early childhood education and care by Karin van Trijp and colleagues (2023).

This video presents challenges shy children may face in childcare, how shy children can express well-being and what childcare staff can do to support shy children during their first year in childcare. Childcare staff who have knowledge of children’s temperament and needs can create a good environment where shy children’s well-being is also supported.

Professional development

Aim: By using this resource, teachers and childcare staff will gain knowledge about the challenges shy children may face throughout their first year in childcare and how to promote the well-being of shy children. Useful for: Early childhood in-service teachers and staff, early childhood preservice teachers (students), and university teachers in early childhood teacher education. Recommended time use: Ca. 45-60 min. Tips for using this resource: 1. Watch the video. 2. Discuss the reflection questions, preferably in groups. 3. Carry out the activity together with colleagues (se Activity). 4. Share experiences with each other at the next staff meeting or lecture.

Illustrasjon av et sjenert barn som står midt mellom hjemmet og barnehagen
Illustrated by Tilde Hoel Torkildsen
Shy children's well-being during their first year in childcare - a video by Karin van Trijp at the Department of Early Childhood Education at the University of Stavanger, Norway
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Questions for reflection

Reflect individually and in groups:

  • What new thoughts about children’s well-being and the role of being shy have you gained after watching this video?
  • How are the children expressing their well-being in your group? Try to reflect on children who you think are thriving and children who thrive less.
  • How are the children expressing their shyness in your group? Try to reflect on children who you think are very shy and children who are not shy. 
  • In which situations in childcare is it easier for shy children to thrive and when is it difficult? What can you do to support children who are more shy?

______

Some behaviors of how a child can express shyness are for example:

  • hesitation in (new) situations
  • being quiet
  • observing others before joining in play
  • physical clinginess
  • being anxious and/or emotional when the child is separated from its primary caregiver
  • avoiding eye contact or speaking in social situations
  • withdrawal from situations with loud noises or crowded places
  • thrives best in environments with familiar people.

Recognizing children’s individual needs and a good and close collaboration between childcare staff and parents is important for all children. When there is a shy child in the group, it is even more important to pay extra attention to how this child is doing when playing alone, but also try to organize small group activities.

Having a dialogue with colleagues and parents for close monitoring of how the child is doing in various situations is important. Observe the child’s skills and recognize the child’s feelings and behavior in interaction with other children to support the child’s self-confidence and motivation to engage with others. Organize activities where the child feels comfortable and can be challenged in a safe way. Try to have a consistent approach both at home and in childcare.

Download

Printable version of the resource

Activity

Reflect on what you do to support children’s well-being and especially for the shy children. Create a concrete goal for how you can support shy children and create a comfortable environment for these children. Share your experiences with your colleagues in the next staff meeting or lecture.

Early childhood research from FILIORUM

This resource from FILIORUM - Centre for Research in Early Education and Care draws on the results from the following research article:

Van Trijp, C. P. J., Lekhal, R., Drugli M. B., Rydland, V., & Solheim Buøen, E. (2023). Examining the longitudinal association between toddlers’ early shyness and their well-being during their first year in Norwegian early childhood education and care. Early Child Development and Care.    

This article is part of Karin van Trijps' doctoral work Toddlers’ Social-Emotional Well-Being in Early Childhood Education and Care: The Role of Child Temperament and Process Quality (2023, University of Oslo) and the research project Thrive by 3.

Aim

Gain knowledge of how shy children thrive during their first year in childcare

Research question

  • Is there an association between toddlers’ early shyness at the start of childcare and their well-being by the end of their first year in childcare?

Methods

A quantitative study using two questionnaires to measure children’s shyness at the start (answered by a parent) and well-being by the end of the first year in childcare (answered by the staff member who knew the child best).

Data material

The study used quantitative data from the Thrive by 3 project on children's well-being measured with a questionnaire named Leiden Inventory for the Child’s Well-Being in Dayccare (LICW-D; De Schipper et al., 2004) and a questionnaire that measures children's shyness, namely Emotionality Activity Sociability Temperament Survey for Children (EAS; Buss & Plomin, 1984).

Key findings

Children who were more shy at the start were thriving less than other children in the group by the end of the first year in childcare. There was no difference between boys and girls.

Relevant links

Thrive by 3 - is a research project to develop and test the effect of a model to raise the quality of interaction in early childhood education and care.

More resources for early childhood education

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Contributing author

Associate Professor
51831928
Faculty of Arts and Education
Department of Early Childhood Education