Neuroscience and Daycare: Better Understanding the Needs of Toddlers
Neuroscience provides new tools to better understand and meet the needs of toddlers in daycare. Historically based on the theories of Winnicott, Bowlby, and Dolto, educational practices emphasize the importance of creating a bond of trust with the child. Today, discoveries in neuroscience reinforce these practices and open up new perspectives.
Familiarization vs. Adaptation in Daycare
Rather than talking about "adaptation", the Les Mousquetaires nursery favours the concept of "familiarisation". This term emphasises the creation of a bond of trust and respect for the child's rhythm, instead of simply acclimatising to a new environment. Marcel Rufo, a child psychiatrist, emphasises in his book "Détache-moi" that separations, although inevitable, allow children to become more independent: "Separate to grow up".
When a child arrives at a daycare, they face many changes. To adapt, they must manage their emotions, which can prevent them from playing and discovering their new environment. Familiarization aims to create a bond of trust from the beginning, helping the child to feel safe and explore calmly. Françoise Dolto called this "mamaïsation": thanks to the parents' trust, the child feels authorized to explore and become attached to new people. The daycare professionals then become reference figures in the absence of the parents.
The Familiarization Process
Familiarization can begin as soon as the child is registered, by projecting the child into his or her future environment. The educator becomes a secondary attachment figure, offering the child a sense of security while respecting the parental bond.
Promotes secondary attachment bonds: The child feels safe in a new social environment.
Social and emotional development: Familiarization helps the child develop a diverse relational network.
To facilitate this transition, daycare centers work closely with parents to:
Introduce the new environment to the child.
Help the child to create bonds of trust with professionals.
Respect the child's needs.
Promote continuity between home and nursery.
Create a “sensory niche” in the nursery to reassure the child.
The Sensory Niche according to Neuroscience
The concept of "sensory niche", developed by neuropsychiatrist Boris Cyrulnik, explains that babies are very sensitive to their environment. Smell, voice, and the way the child is carried create a reassuring and familiar cocoon. You are your baby's first sensory niche! In addition to parents, anyone with whom the child develops an emotional bond can contribute to this sensory niche. A stable and secure environment allows the child to explore his world with confidence, to learn and develop his social skills.
The Role of Repetition and Emotions
Neuroscience shows that the baby's brain works like a learning machine. By repeating the same actions, games or words, it creates brain connections that strengthen its understanding of the world.
Repetition: Strengthens synapses, consolidates learning and develops automatisms.
Emotions: Play a key role in learning. Moments of pleasure and sharing strengthen the emotional bond and promote learning.
Routines: Daily routines (meals, bedtime, play) provide structure and support cognitive development.
Practical Application in the Nursery
Nursery rhymes and songs: Develop language and memory.
Hide and seek games: Helps to understand object permanence.
Stories read aloud: Promotes memorization and stimulates imagination.
Personalization: Each child needs personalized support.
Safety and trust: Are essential for healthy development.
By applying this knowledge, daycare centers can create an optimal environment for the well-being and learning of young children.