An Investigation of Adults Responding to Infants and Toddlers’ Interests in Open Kindergarten

Much research has been carried out at the specific practical level about the process of developing and supporting children's interests by teachers and parents. But a clear definition of what responding to children's interests means in practice is still missing. This chapter presents an empirical study about how adults in kindergarten primarily respond to infants and young children's interests through actions, language, and emotions. In actional response, they support the children's interests through interactive materials and physical contact and so on. In verbal responses, they use directive language to stop the behavior of toddlers. The observed emotional responses are relatively few, but they are all positive emotions that support the infants and young children's interests. As the children grow older, adults’ responses to their interests change. There is a noticeable increase in the use of instructional language, a decrease in descriptive language, and an increase in emotions.