Sample Solution

A strong sense of well being enables children to engage positively and confidently with their environment and therefore to take full advantage of learning opportunities. Indeed, ‘well being is central to learning and learning contributes to well being’ (Department of Education and Children’s Services, 2005, p. 5). Defining and articulating the construct of well being in the early years of life differs across domains of health, psychology, mental health and education (Barblett & Maloney, 2010). What constitutes well being is largely informed by the particular professional and theoretical lens; for example, in child health research and practice, a deficit paradigm – identifying what a child isn’t yet able to do – was historically prominent. In education, attention is largely given to demonstrable skills and behaviors that are integral to well being (Mashford-Scott, Church & Tayler, 2012). When children develop strong and secure relationships with the key adults in their lives they develop the confidence to explore their environment, safe and supported (Mayr & Ulich, 2009). As babies grow they begin to exert a little more control over their actions and by 12 months are demonstrating the beginnings of self-regulation and positive affect in an attempt to engage with the adults in their lives.