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NCCIC Library
Essential Touch: Meeting the Needs of Young Children
By Frances M Carlson
2006
Summary: This book asserts that young children need positive human touch, and lots of it, in all its forms. Nurturing touch from their caregivers is essential for children to feel loved and secure; interactions with their peers help develop social and emotional competence. In the early childhood setting, touch is about physical contact between children and their caregivers and peers, and about providing young children with tactile experiences of the world around them. Both kinds of touch are essential to meet the needs of young children. Teachers must understand that withholding touch can be physically and emotionally harmful to a child. Human contact affects chemicals in the brain that shape its development. Affirming touch fosters feelings of value and self-worth.
Index Terms: Needs Assessment, Teacher Education, Young Children, Cognitive Development, Emotional Development, Physical Development, Social Development
Publisher: National Association for the Education of Young Children
Publication Type: Books
Pages: 131 pages
Language: English
Availability
National Association for the Education of Young Children
1313 L St. N.W. Suite 500
Washington,
District of Columbia
20005-4101
202-232-8777
FAX: 202-328-2649
naeyc@naeyc.org/
http://www.naeyc.org/
10530 Rosehaven St., Suite 400 • Fairfax, VA 22030 | Phone: (800) 616-2242 • Fax: (800) 716-2242 • TTY: (800) 516-2242
NCCIC is a service of the Child Care Bureau (CCB), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Administration for Children and Families(ACF), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services