In this lesson, you will learn how to engage in play with your child, while in co-presence.
0:01 - [Jelica] Engaging In Play With A Giant Ball.
0:05 Come on, let's go find the ball together.
0:29 Tactile markers are important for your child to develop a sense of where they are.
0:34 Being able to navigate their environment is critical to building autonomy.
0:47 As you are searching for the ball, always remain in contact with your child.
1:01 The ultimate goal of co-presence is to work together as a team to find the ball.
1:24 As you walk back toward where you started, pay careful attention to touch the tactile markers,
so your child knows where they are.
1:42 When your child is engaging in play with a new toy for the first time, it's important to start
by demonstrating the new skill.
1:51 Gently guide their hands to feel the different aspects of what it is that you're doing, like how your legs are positioned, and how your shoulders move when you're bouncing.
2:02 This will allow them to replicate your movements.
2:05 Next, encourage your child to practice this new skill.
2:09 Remember to remain connected to your child, so that they can feel your engagement and attention as they play.
2:16 As your child tries new things, be sure to offer tactile support, encouragement,
and praise so they know how proud you are.
2:28 The next time you try this activity together let your child initiate play, while you provide guidance,
support, encouragement, and praise.
2:47 When play time is over, it's important to communicate this clearly to your child.
2:56 Explain what you will do next, so they can be prepared to transition to the next activity.
3:02 For example, maybe it's time for a snack.
3:11 Like all children, they might not want play time to be over, and you might need to be more stern
in your reaction.
3:17 You can indicate this difference in tone by how much pressure you apply in your touch.
3:22 In this example, pressing down on their shoulders more heavily and swiping across their chest
indicates the discussion is over and it's time to go inside.
3:34 Let's view that one more time.
3:36 Notice the hands on the shoulders that firmly press down to stop the bouncing, and the swipe that goes slowly across the chest to indicate that play time is over.
3:49 At that point, the invitation for the child to stand up and go inside is made.
3:57 This activity was aimed at introducing a child to a new experience, while orienting them
to the environment.
4:04 I led the activity because I knew the surroundings, which doesn't mean I've seen them.
4:10 It's important to note seeing is not a requisite to knowing, and knowing is not contingent upon seeing.
4:22 In our recent example, I'm showing a child a new area, so I'm in the lead.
4:27 The child's listening hand is still connected to my hand
4:30 as we walk along the fence together.
4:33 You'll notice their other hand trails the fence closely behind our joined hands.
4:38 This is intentional, so they can get additional information through touch as we walk.
4:49 In our example, even though I was the one to lead, you touched the rail with me the entire time.
4:55 This way you recognize it when you touch it again.
4:58 Identifying the rail by how it feels, makes it a familiar friend that supportively leads
you to the grass on the other side.
5:06 Without touching this, we would surely be stumbling through the empty space on uneven grass
not knowing where we were or what direction to go in.
5:14 This would make things confusing.
5:16 A better approach is using the rail to venture into the yard along a route that can be felt.
5:21 We can explore the yard from the fence, keeping our bearings as we walk together.
5:26 Of course, over time this becomes a familiar path, and the child will go out by themselves.
5:31 But for the first time, we stay together as we venture out to find the ball.
5:34 There are many strategies so that a child doesn't have to rely on a guide all the time.
5:46 Kids feel proud when they can do things on their own, and knowing where they are going, they have options.
5:52 Maybe there's a chair in the yard they want to go out and sit in.
6:01 Once the child has been taught by following my lead, we switch roles.
6:06 Now the child takes the lead.
6:08 This time, their hand is in front, with mine touching theirs from behind as we walk out to the ball, reversing this as we return
6:16 in the opposite direction.
6:23 Notice again that we are touching one another and the rail at the same time,
6:27 They have taken the lead, and I am following.
6:32 It's important to give them plenty of affirmative backchanneling and positive reinforcement.
6:37 Again, the key is to stay in co-presence and touch the whole time, as they practice
what they are learning.
6:43 This way, the child has a chance to feel how you walk, how you touch the fence, and they can do the same.
6:51 They are more confident knowing it is safe, because you showed them while solidly in co-presence.
6:56 It's important that your tactile connection not be fleeting or tentative, but stays firmly grounded
in reciprocal tactile co-presence.
7:06 That way, they can feel everything and learn to navigate it by themselves if they want to.
7:10 What's important is that you show them your technique for getting information through touch.
7:14 Hearing sighted parents don't send hearing sighted children out into the world without first explaining what to look and listen for.
7:21 All children need to know how to make sense of the world around them.
7:24 You're teaching them what touch means, in the context of physical and social environments.
7:32 A hearing parent teaches hearing children what sounds mean while staying with them in a field
of shared sound, experiencing it together.
7:39 We do the same from a tactile perspective.
7:41 We stay together in a shared tactile field, touching the environment and sharing what we feel
with each other.
7:48 The child learns to identify the fence, for example, locates the rail, and learns where it goes,
just like hearing kids need to learn what sounds are and parents help them to learn to recognize them
by staying with them as they experience the sound together.
8:00 We too have to learn what things feel like, what they mean, and how to interpret them,
and we do that by touching and feeling them together.
8:08 This way you encourage children to get in touch with what is around them, and there's no need to pull, force, or rush them along.
8:15 They need time to absorb the information they're feeling.
8:17 And over time, they will come to identify the features of their home, their school, restaurants,
and other locations they frequent through touch.
8:30 I want to reiterate the value of feeling the hands of your child as they touch things.
8:35 Your hand on theirs encourages them to touch what is around them.
8:39 They know you're feeling what they are feeling, and that you are following.
8:44 Then, switch by putting your hands under theirs, so they can follow you.
8:48 Explore this as you and your child journey together in co-presence.
