This vital resource for early years and primary school trainees and practitioners explores a range of social and therapeutic strategies and interventions that will successfully support all children’s sense of belonging.
A sense of belonging is vital to children’s physical, emotional, psychological, mental health and wellbeing. This book considers social and therapeutic strategies and interventions that support all children’s sense of belonging and can be adopted by practitioners. It addresses the interrelated factors that impact children’s sense of belonging such as race, gender, expression of sexual orientation, religion and disabilities. It will help develop practitioners’ awareness of current social and educational issues including LGBT+ topics, the changing family unit, relationships, misogyny and toxic masculinity, meditation and mindfulness as well as the importance of children connecting with nature and transformative activism. The chapters adopt a theoretical and practical approach, presenting case studies of good practice, which will create positive and inclusive outcomes, supporting individual growth and community wellbeing.
An essential reading for practitioners, including teachers, teaching assistants (continuing professional development), lecturers and social workers, working in early years and primary educational setting, this book would also be suitable as a core and supportive text for students studying on a variety of undergraduate degree courses within the scope of education, pedagogy, mental health and wellbeing, social work and child development.
Table of Contents:
0. Introduction
Part I: Tackling social inequality and social justice
1. Social Inequality and Social Justice2. Anti-racism in Early Childhood Spaces: Transformative Activism3. Religion, Belonging and Childhood in the Primary Classroom4. Unmasking Toxic Masculinity in Early Years and Primary Schools: Exploring the Impact on Children's Socialisation and DevelopmentPart II: Social interaction; social beings and relationships
5. Supporting Children’s Sense of Belonging and Feelings of Mattering Through Relationship-Rich Pedagogies6. (LGBT+) and different family structures; What is a family?7. Fostering Belonging through Compassionate Care in Education8. The Modern Iliad; Asylum Seeker and Refugee Children’s Search for Belonging9. Ecology and Embodiment: Engaging Children and Young People with NaturePart III: All Schools and All Practitioners
10. Towards a Needs-Led Approach to Inclusion: Questions and Challenges for the Ideology of Inclusive Practice11. Developing a Mentally Healthy Culture for All in Schools: Issues and Possible Solutions12. Wellbeing in a Modern World
About the Author :
Estelle Tarry is presently an assistant professor in postgraduate teacher education in the Middle East. She was previously a lecturer at the South Devon University Centre, Plymouth University, UK, and authored Challenges in Early Years and Primary Education (2022) for Routledge.
