From Behaviour to signal: A different way to understand children

Many childhood behaviours labelled as difficult, oppositional or defiant may make far more sense than we realise. This article and podcast episode explore a biological perspective on defiance, screens, difficult behaviour and why modern parenting has become so exhausting. We explore why children adapt when something important is missing from their experience, and how shifting our attention from behaviour to environment can transform how we understand children.

Read the article here:

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/from-behaviour-to-signal-a-different-way-to-understand-children/

This episode is in partnership with BookedIn

BookedIn is a CPD booking platform that connects organisations with verified speakers, trainers and consultants – so you can find the right fit faster, based on your brief, audience and outcomes.

You can discover, compare, and manage bookings in one place – designed to help you book with more clarity and confidence.

Whether you're booking CPD or are a speaker yourself, they're opening early access soon, and if you want to be first to hear when it's live, join the waiting list today!

To find out more and sign up to the wait list visit: https://waitlist.bookedin.online/

Our 2027 conference info & tickets:

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2027/

Listen to more:

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:

• The science of play: How shared activities transform family dynamics, with Professor Sam Wass - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/the-science-of-play-how-shared-activities-transform-family-dynamics/

• Active vs passive screen time, with Musa Roshdy - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/active-vs-passive-screen-time/

Get in touch and share your voice:

Do you have thoughts, questions or feedback? Get in touch here! – https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/contact/

Episode break down:

00:00 – Introducing the episode and Geoff Owen
02:26 – What does it mean to view behaviour as a signal?
05:18 – The fish-in-the-river analogy: looking at the environment
09:32 – Children's biological expectations and the 'ancient blueprint'
11:45 – How adults broadcast their emotional state
15:13 – Children on the periphery of everyday life
19:35 – Seeing children as capable, competent, valued and trusted
21:55 – How Geoff's own childhood shaped his thinking
22:50 – The Continuum Concept and adversarial approaches to parenting
24:57 – Independence, maturity and modern parenting
27:20 – Conditioning, reframing behaviour and parental self-blame
29:24 – Proximity, carrying and children's expectations
31:28 – Adaptive behaviour: what are children adapting to?
37:51 – Regulation, co-regulation and how children experience adult responses
39:29 – Adult self-awareness and the influence of our own childhood experiences
45:55 – How children communicate before spoken language
46:38 – Parenting as a 'side activity' and including children in everyday life
48:50 – Containment, boundaries, punishment and rewards
50:18 – Practical takeaways for parents and educators
52:00 – Stepping back from adult-led conversations
53:37 – Balancing language support with silence, space and child-led conversation
55:04 – Closing reflections
56:00 – Where to find Jeff's article

For more episodes and articles visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com