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126  TOPIC 8 QUALITY CARE ENVIRONMENT
welcoming environment for parents (Maynard & Powell, 2013). Greetings consist of formal and informal practices. Informal greetings are usually used to greet friends and family as well as people whom one meets in casual settings. As this is the basics of conversation starters, it is crucial to teach children the right way to greet people.
Table 8.1: Greetings and Their General Usage
Greeting
Explanation
Hey! Hi!
„Hey‰ and „Hi‰ are particularly popular among younger people. While „hi‰ is appropriate to use in any casual situation, „hey‰ is for people who have already met. Remember that „hey‰ doesnÊt always mean „hello‰. „Hey‰ can also be used to call for someoneÊs attention.
HowÊs it going? How are you doing? WhatÊs up?
WhatÊs new?
WhatÊs going on?
Besides „how are you?‰, these are expressions to greet almost anyone. Answers can be „itÊs going well‰ or „IÊm doing well‰ or most people just answer „good‰.
HowÊs everything? How are things? HowÊs life?
Besides saying „how are you?‰, these expressions can be used to casually greet anyone, often someone you already know. If small talk feels appropriate, you may briefly share any interesting news.
HowÊs your day going?
HowÊs your day?
These questions mean how youÊve been all day. You may use these greetings later in the day.
Good to see you Nice to see you
These casual greetings are used with familiar people that you have not seen in a while.
Initial greeting helps sets the tone for the day. Initial greetings should be joyful with the aim of making a child feel welcome, respected and appreciated. It also triggers studentsÊ excitement and belonging, instilling a sense of belonging among the children at the children learning centre. Personal greetings strengthen the bond between students and teachers and improve the classroomÊs climate. Teachers must learn to remember studentsÊ names before implementing the greeting routine. The followings are simple steps when greeting and departing:
(a) Lower to the childÊs height;
(b) Attain eye contact;
(c) Extend a warm smile;
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