Temperamant 1 hour

Your Child’s Temperament Overview

Agenda What is temperament and why is it important?

The balance between your temperament and your child’s Using temperament in your parenting strategies

True or false A baby is a blank slate waiting for you and their environment to form who they are.

Combination Genetics

Your ‘true’ temperament is a set of ‘in-built’ traits that organise a child’s approach to the world

Environment

Choices

How people react to temperament can affect a child’s choice about how true to their temperament they live

Bias?

What adult traits do we encourage & value in the UK? What would these adults have been like as children?

9 Categories Activity Level The amount someone constantly moves vs sitting still Approach / Withdraw How personally eager they are to try something new

Intensity How intensely they react to emotional events (+ and -)

Distractibility The degree to which they are distracted by things in the environment e.g. sound vs how much they can shut out external stimuli Regularity Predictability of sleep, routine, appetite

Adaptability How easily they adapt to real change in any part of life

Persistence How much they can sustain effort / effort in the face of obstacles Sensory Threshold How sensitive they are to noise, texture, brightness etc

Mood The degree to which they see things as opportunities or challenges

Activity Level

Distractibility

Low: Low: Difficult to be subtle with them Hard to get moving Can learn new things - which they Not easily bored, can do tasks may not like at first requiring stillness & concentration High: High: Hard to concentrate on 1 thing Hard to stop moving Easily distracted from negative Enjoy sports, manage multiple influences or actions responsibilities Parenting: Parenting: Make good decisions on timing and Avoid descriptions like ‘lazy’ or length of transitions ‘hyper’ Don’t confuse with perseverance Children are not responsible Coach children rather than trying to for fulfilling our activity needs eliminate high distractibility

Intensity Low: Easy to misunderstand Not dramatic when upset, more easily consoled

Regularity Low: Hard to meet physical needs Can adapt to long trips, being spontaneous and jobs with shift patterns

High: High: Can produce -’ve response in Dislikes delays and changes others Very predictable, falls easily into Amazing experiences & get their routine needs met

Parenting: Don’t underestimate disappointment or encourage stifling emotions

Parenting: Gradually becomes easier - try not to work against it

Sensory Threshold Low: Heightened feel, touch, hearing - overwhelming Likely to be creative and artistic High: May miss sensory signals Can tolerate extreme environments Parenting: Make allowances for clothing and holiday environments

Approach Low: Slow to warm up Considered and informed choices High: May take risks Can think on their feet, enjoys meeting new people Parenting: Allow them to make their own people / friend choices Try not to push either way

Adaptability

Persistence

Low: Can limit experiences Does not like many changes in a day

Low: Easily put off by obstacles Can be moved or distracted onto other things

High: Easily drawn in by people Can cope lots of variety in a day

High: Hard to move on Has stickability

Parenting: Help children learn appropriate caution or courage

Parenting: Ensure high persistence is not called stubborn and low persistence labelled as ‘giving up

Mood Low: Misunderstood as being miserable and negative Considered and sees risks and drawbacks High: Can be overwhelming or miss the concerns of others See’s the bright side and fun to be around

Parenting: Validate both ways of doing life. Make sure you have adult expressions for your own mood preferences

Questions Qu Q