Ruth Anne Hammond - Respecting Babies

See you there!!

Play asks so much of us as adults - especially our trust, and our ability to wait.

Deborah Carlisle Solomon reminds us why observation is such a powerful practice:

“When I was first learning about and practicing RIE®, I remember sitting and observing a baby reaching for a play object.

I realized that my brow was furrowed and I was 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 the baby to grasp the object.

My adult, goal-orientated point of view characterized what I was seeing as ‘struggle,’ but the baby was relaxed and quite content.

He wasn't experiencing his inability to reach the object as negative.

The struggle I felt in that moment was all mine.

✨ When we wait and observe, and refrain from helping, babies may surprise us.”

This is the heart of RIE® - trusting play, trusting babies, and noticing how much we bring into the moment.

✨ Want to go deeper into ideas like this?
Join us at the 36th Annual RIE® Infant-Toddler Conference for Parents and Professionals
🗓 March 27–28, 2026

Two days of learning, reflection, and meaningful conversations about play, development, and authentic relationships.

Looking forward to this webinar! I will be sharing stories from caring communities to inspire others as they have inspired me.

How do we stay grounded when everything around us feels uncertain?

As early childhood professionals, we carry both the joy and the weight of shaping the future. In today’s climate—where families face anxiety, funding feels uncertain, and stressors multiply—it’s more important than ever to create moments of meaning.

Join Ruth Anne Hammond, M.A., RIE® Associate and author, to explore how centering practices, mindful observation, and intentional connections with colleagues, parents, and children can help us:

✅ Build caring communities in our programs

✅ Foster resilience in young children

✅ Find hope and agency in uncertain times

📅 September 16, 2025

🔗 Register for free: https://ecewebinars.com/3HCiZjc

I’m doing a little something different in this webinar. Stretching….

In challenging times, small moments can have a big impact.

Join Resources for Infant Educarers Associate and author Ruth Anne Hammond, M.A. on September 16 for an inspiring webinar about creating a caring, connected community in your early childhood program—one meaningful moment at a time.

Together we’ll explore:
🤝 How “moments of meeting” foster connection and resilience
🌬️ Daily practices to center yourself and create emotional calm
💡 Ways to maintain hope and purpose—even in uncertain systems

This is a chance to step back, breathe, and reconnect with the heart of why we do this work.

🎟 Register here: ecewebinars.com/buildcaring

I am starting a new young infant class on Thursdays and I have some space for one-year-olds on Wednesdays. Please share this if you have friends who might be interested!

🎭 Play is the preparation

Play isn’t a break from learning — it IS learning.
Climbing, balancing, building, connecting, problem-solving…
Children prepare themselves through play — if we let them.

Let’s put play where it belongs: at the centre.
Join us in Kingston-upon-Thames this September.

🎟 Tickets from £50
📍 Kingston University, London
📆 26 Sept
👉 pikler.co.uk/events



PHOTO: Marian Reismann

Love this from my colleagues in Mt. Pleasant….

“Look at the differences between a typical preschool child’s hand (left) and a typical 7 year old hand (right). Want to know why a preschool aged child isn’t able to write yet? This is why! Their hands are still developing and are not fully formed. So what should they be doing to support this? PLAY!! Play dough, coloring, cutting, gluing, playing outside, digging in dirt, sensory play, dress up play, science experiments, beading, puzzles, throwing balls, etc.

All of these things help their hands develop. When they are physically ready to write, they will! No need to rush them, they will show you when they are ready.” ❤️
via

Just 2 days until the conference. You can sign up for in person ( hybrid) or zoom, and have all access for 60 days.

There’s no advantage in learning a skill earlier that interrupts time spent learning what you need to know now.

Time for this reminder!

This is my most widely shared post. And rightly so, it’s an important one. These are “prewriting patterns”, with the average (but not prescribed) age at which children are developmentally ready to achieve these patterns listed below them in years and months. Being able to process visual information and produce a movement in response (e.g. copying these prewriting patterns or letter formations), is known as “visual motor integration”.

Note that an X is not typically achieved until 4 years 11 months, and a triangle at 5 years 3 months. If a child can’t form these basic shapes...then they probably won’t be able to form letters. ⠀⠀
⠀⠀
It is quite concerning then that there are 3 year 7 month olds starting formal schooling (in Western Australia at least), where they’re soon expected to write. Not only are their visual motor integration skills not developed enough, their hands are also physically under-developed. In addition, recognising letters, understanding phonics and beginning to read are all needed in order for a child to write meaningfully, skills which children starting kindy (and preprimary) typically don’t have. We also know that when a child learns something that doesn’t hold meaning, it‘s unlikely to stick.
⠀⠀⠀⠀
So if you have a 3-4 year old who spontaneously asks or attempts to write letters, that’s great; otherwise, there is no need to initiate or worry about this. Unfortunately there is a misconception, particularly with the way that the current curriculum and expectations stand, that earlier is better. Earlier is not always better.

Preschool children should be focusing on the foundation skills needed for writing, and most of this can be achieved through PLAY. Big body movements like running and jumping and climbing to strengthen the core, shoulders and hands; playing and tinkering with small parts and toys to develop fine motor skills and the coordination and strength needed to grasp a pencil; drawing and experimenting with shapes; and finally guidance from adults on how to form individual letters efficiently, BEFORE writing words and sentences.

Please note that this message does not translate to “don’t teach prewriting patterns” or “don’t get help if you’re concerned” - it is more to ease the minds of parents who may be concerned that their child is “behind”.

Source of shape and age ranges: Beery Buktenica Test of Visual Motor Integration, 6th Edition

[ Eveil sensoriel 👣] Les enfants de la crèche Babilou St-Grégoire Performance ont eu l’occasion de s’aventurer sur le parcours sensoriel "Réveille tes pieds" dans les Jardins de Brocéliande ! 🌼👶 Accompagnés par les pros de la crèche et leurs parents, ils ont découvert, pieds nus, des textures étonnantes : du doux au rugueux, du chaud au froid, tout en s’amusant à chaque pas 👣 Une expérience à la fois ludique et enrichissante qui a éveillé leurs sens et créé des souvenirs inoubliables 😄✨

This is an important study.

Pregnant? Researchers want you to know something about fluoride Elevated prenatal exposure to fluoride was associated with increased risk of neurobehavioral problems in 3-year-olds, according to a study of children in Los Angeles.

I'm excited to let you know that I will be teaching in the DC/Maryland/Virginia (DMV) Area this summer, details below. I'd be happy to answer your questions if you message me!

Will be speaking about RIE for the early education folks on both Friday and Saturday mornings at the ECSTEM Conference. While I am in support of the hotel workers, I am also in support of the early childhood community who have registered for the conference to enhance their ability to serve the babies and young children who depend on them. It was a hard choice.

Welcome | Early Childhood Science Technology Engineering Math Conference