Principles and Practice to Help Young Children Belong: Therapeutic Approaches to Support Pupils in the Margins

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.

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.