Purpose
The article investigates how nurturing touch practices, such as gentle brush massage, finger massage and body massage, are applied in ten Danish kindergartens.
Research question: According to 13 practitioners, how can nurturing touch practices and massage influence their mutual relationship with toddlers and the toddlers’ emotional well-being and learning in 10 kindergarten settings?
Result
The practitioners describe how nurturing touch practices can broaden their sensitivity and the intersubjective space between them and the children. The practitioners also describe how toddlers seem to become more aware of their own bodies, more relaxed and more flexible.
Design
Thirteen practitioners contributed to the study with written narratives about their experiences regarding nurturing touch practices, and how the practices influenced their relationship with the children and the conditions for toddlers’ emotional well-being and learning in kindergarten or family day-care.
References
Svinth, L. (2018). “Being touched – the transformative potential of nurturing touch practices in relation to toddlers’ learning and emotional well-being”. Early Child Development and Care, 188(7): 924-936.