DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET Introduction This is a book for early childhood educators who want to connect powerfully and effectively with children’s physical learning; who want to meet children’s needs concerning physical development, both short and long term; and who see a place for resilience in their goals for children. This book aims to give teachers the tools they need to understand the ideas connected with resil- ience and strategies for implementing those ideas in their practice. It aims to provide both a theoretical framework and a practical approach for work with children, families, and other educators on resilience. It aims to help teachers not just to build resilience into their own personal approach to teaching but also to create a culture of resilience—in their classrooms, in their schools, and in their communities. Chapter 1 is an exploration of the issues involved in thinking about building resilience in the context of physical play—what the stakes are, why we should care, why we do care, and what we’re likely to encounter. In chap- ter 2, we’ll explore safety and risk in early childhood education and build a theoretical framework for understanding how resilience is connected to children’s other needs. Chapter 3 will discuss practical approaches to working with children—how to help children find the appropriate level of physical risk taking, how to respond productively to risky behaviors, how to use physical- ity as an opportunity to build skills such as self-regulation and self-help, and how to respond when children get hurt. Chapter 4 will discuss working with families—how to build trusting relationships with families around children’s physical development by being an effective communicator. In chapter 5, we’ll explore approaches to working with teachers—how to discuss resilience with your colleagues and how to effectively ask teachers to change their practices concerning physical development. Chapter 6 will look at concerns about COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL   ix