Relationships in Early Childhood Education: Building the Foundation for Lifelong Learning
The Importance of Relationships in Early Childhood Education
The importance of relationships in early childhood education is central to children’s learning and wellbeing. From the very first years of life, relationships form the context in which children grow, learn, and make sense of the world. Infants and young children rely on trusted adults for safety, emotional regulation, and guidance, and these secure attachments influence how they interact with others as they move into education and care settings.
High-quality relationships are characterised by warmth, responsiveness, trust, and respect. When educators greet children by name, get down to their level for eye contact, and use calm, reassuring voices, children feel valued and secure. These small but consistent actions enable children to develop confidence in their abilities, engage in exploration, and form friendships with their peers. Research highlights that children who experience secure educator-child relationships demonstrate stronger social competence, better emotional regulation, and greater readiness to learn.
Building Positive Relationships in Early Childhood
Building positive relationships in early childhood is not a one-off event; it is an intentional, ongoing process. The National Quality Standard (Quality Area 5) requires educators to actively plan for and maintain respectful, equitable interactions with each child, supporting them to engage meaningfully with others. This means educators must:
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Create emotionally safe environments where children feel they belong.
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Engage in one-to-one interactions that affirm children’s individuality.
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Model empathy, respect, and fairness in every interaction.
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Support children to understand and manage their feelings, and to respond appropriately to others.
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Provide opportunities for children to practice social problem-solving and conflict resolution.
Relationship-building is also deeply connected to pedagogy. For example, Gail Joseph and Phillip Strain describe relationships as the foundation of good teaching, noting that children are more motivated, cooperative, and resilient when they feel understood and cared for. Similarly, Tim Moore’s research emphasises that relationships are both the focus of early childhood education and the means through which learning occurs — they are the “active ingredients” of development.
Why Relationships in ECE Are a Pedagogical Priority
Understanding the importance of relationships in early childhood means recognising their role in every area of development:
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Emotional development: Secure relationships provide children with strategies to regulate emotions, manage transitions, and build resilience.
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Social development: Through interactions with educators and peers, children learn empathy, respect, and the skills needed to maintain friendships.
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Cognitive development: When children feel safe and supported, they are more willing to take risks in learning, persist with challenges, and engage in problem-solving.
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Identity and belonging: Relationships affirm children’s sense of self and their place within the learning community, contributing to confidence and agency.
Ultimately, relationships in ECE are not an “add-on” to learning; they are the foundation of learning. Without them, even the most well-designed curriculum cannot reach its full potential.
How the Membership Helps Educators Build Responsive Relationships in ECE
Understanding the theory of relationships is vital, but educators need practical, guided support to translate it into responsive everyday practice. The ICT in Education Teacher Academy helps members do this by embedding the EYLF V2.0 principles and the ECA Digital Technologies Statement directly into their professional growth. This ensures educators are supported to strengthen relationships not only with children, but also with their families and peers.
Here’s how:
1. Embedding Relationships into Professional Growth
The membership’s Workbook tools (Lesson Planning Template, Observation Guide, Reflection Prompts) guide educators to plan for, observe, and reflect on relationships as a deliberate part of practice. For example, educators are prompted to record how children engage in peer play, how families are included, and how their own interactions model respect and responsiveness. This aligns with EYLF V2.0 Practice Principle: Responsiveness to children and Quality Area 5 of the NQS, ensuring educators grow their ability to create secure, equitable relationships.
2. Supporting Family Partnerships
Strong family partnerships are a cornerstone of children’s wellbeing. The membership supports this by showing educators how to use ICT for family engagement — whether through digital portfolios, photos, or co-viewed documentation. Members also access community reflection prompts designed to help them reflect on the inclusivity of their family partnerships. This strengthens trust, consistency, and shared responsibility between home and service, which EYLF v2.0 identifies as critical to children’s belonging and identity .
3. Practical Scenarios and Reflection
Responsive educators don’t just know relationships matter — they reflect on their practice to improve them. The membership offers scenarios and case studies showing how to respond to challenges (such as supporting shy children, or modelling respectful turn-taking with digital tools). Members then use the Observation Guide to assess progress. This turns abstract principles into clear, trackable professional growth steps.
4. Peer Community and Collective Wisdom
Inside the membership community, educators share lived experiences:
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“How do I help a child who resists peer play?”
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“How do I build trust with families who rarely engage?”
The responses combine evidence-based strategies with real practice. This peer-to-peer model mirrors what the ECA Statement calls joint engagement — adults collaborating around technology and pedagogy to model for children how relationships work. The Academy therefore doesn’t just teach about relationships; it creates them among educators, which strengthens their capacity to model responsiveness in classrooms.
5. Aligning with Standards and Frameworks
Finally, the membership ensures that every resource and reflection connects back to EYLF V2.0 and the NQS Quality Area 5. Instead of leaving educators to interpret these requirements alone, the Academy provides structured supports that embed relationship-building into daily practice. This gives educators confidence that their work with children and families is both pedagogically sound and professionally accountable.
✅ The result is that membership does not simply offer “lesson ideas” — it actively builds your capacity as a responsive educator. By guiding you to reflect, plan, and collaborate with families and peers, the ICT in Education Teacher Academy helps you create the strong, respectful relationships that sit at the heart of early childhood education.
👉 How will you grow your ability to foster responsive relationships with children and families this year?
Join the ICT in Education Teacher Academy and take your next step with confidence.
Being a Responsive Early Childhood Educator with Technology
The Importance of Responsiveness in ECE
In early childhood education, the integration of technology must always be guided by responsiveness. A responsive educator observes and listens to children, then plans experiences that reflect each child’s interests, abilities, and strengths. This ensures that technology is used meaningfully, supporting learning and wellbeing rather than distracting from it. The College of Early Childhood Educators emphasises that caring and responsive relationships in early childhood education form the foundation of trust, security, and belonging (CECE, 2023). When educators use technology responsively, ICT becomes a tool for strengthening relationships rather than replacing them.
Children thrive when their cues are acknowledged and acted upon. The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority notes that being responsive requires educators to notice children’s strengths and extend their learning through intentional decisions about resources and interactions (ACECQA – Responsiveness to Children). In the context of technology in early years education, this means ICT should be used to empower children’s agency while enhancing the relationships that support learning.
Relationships and Technology in ECE
The development of secure relationships is central to children’s wellbeing and development. Positive attachments influence every domain of learning — from emotional regulation to problem-solving (Raising Children Network). This aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework and Quality Area 5 of the National Quality Standard, both of which highlight the need for respectful and equitable relationships in early childhood education (ACECQA – Quality Area 5).
Technology, when used intentionally, can play an important role in enhancing relationships between children and teachers. For example, co-viewing digital photos encourages reflection and dialogue, while coding toys promote turn-taking and peer collaboration. Video calls can connect children with distant family members, strengthening their sense of identity and belonging. These shared experiences are examples of secure relationship practices, which support resilience, trust, and social confidence (EdResearch; Housman Institute).
When educators are intentional, ICT becomes a way of building positive relationships in early childhood, providing tools that make communication and collaboration richer and more inclusive.
Examples of Pedagogy for Responsive Technology Use
Being a responsive educator means adopting pedagogical practices that connect children’s digital experiences with their developmental needs. Below are examples of pedagogy in early childhood education that highlight how technology can be used responsively:
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Observation and extension – A child shows interest in a digital microscope; the educator plans opportunities to extend learning with a digital nature journal.
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Co-construction – Educator and child co-create a digital story, valuing the child’s ideas and contributions while guiding the narrative together.
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Scaffolded collaboration – Children work in pairs with coding toys; the educator scaffolds language for negotiation, problem-solving, and teamwork.
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Family inclusion – Children’s work is shared through digital portfolios, and families are invited to provide feedback that informs future planning.
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Emotional attunement – Educators acknowledge children’s frustration during digital activities, modelling calm responses and supporting self-regulation.
These strategies align with evidence showing that secure, responsive interactions are central to effective teaching and learning in the early years (EdResearch).
Table: Technology That Enhances Relationships in ECE
| Technology | How It Enhances Teacher–Child Relationships | How It Enhances Teacher–Family Relationships |
| Digital cameras/tablets | Reviewing photos together sparks reflection and builds shared meaning. | Families receive visual updates of children’s learning journeys, encouraging richer conversations at home. |
| Digital storytelling apps | Teachers and children co-create stories, fostering empathy, communication, and belonging. | Families can view and comment on stories, reinforcing cultural identity and connection. |
| Coding toys (e.g., Bee-Bots) | Teachers scaffold collaboration, supporting turn-taking and problem-solving. | Families can replicate coding games at home, ensuring continuity between settings. |
| Interactive whiteboards | Teachers guide group projects, promoting joint attention and collaborative dialogue. | Family events can showcase children’s digital projects, strengthening transparency and community. |
| Digital portfolios | Children reflect on their own learning with teachers, enhancing agency and confidence. | Families engage in two-way communication about progress, building trust and consistency. |
How the Membership Supports Responsive Practice
Inside the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, responsiveness is embedded into every stage of professional growth. The membership does not treat technology as an end in itself — it supports educators in using ICT to deepen relationships and create meaningful connections with children and families.
Here’s how the membership strengthens your ability to be a responsive educator:
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📘 Workbook tools (Lesson Planning Template, Observation Guide, and Reflection Prompts) guide you to plan activities where technology is used to strengthen relationships. For example, a digital storytelling activity is paired with planning prompts that focus on fostering empathy and communication, not just learning how to use the app.
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Observation and assessment strategies show you how to recognise when children are building relationships through ICT — whether it’s collaboration with peers, shared problem-solving, or engaging families. These strategies help you make responsiveness visible and actionable.
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Community of practice – Members share lived examples of responsiveness, such as supporting a child who resists ICT or engaging families who feel unsure about technology. These shared experiences offer practical strategies grounded in pedagogy and evidence.
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Professional learning pathways connect EYLF principles and Quality Area 5 to digital practice. This ensures that educators don’t just meet standards but use them to enrich their responsiveness with children and families.
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Examples of pedagogy in practice – Members access activities such as digital nature walks, coding with Bee-Bots, or augmented reality storytelling. Each is paired with professional guidance on how to adapt it responsively for children’s interests, skills, and family contexts.
In this way, the Academy supports educators in building positive relationships in early childhood that are enriched by technology, not overshadowed by it. Members don’t just gain new ICT activities — they gain the confidence, strategies, and reflective practice needed to ensure technology strengthens the relationships that matter most.
✅ Being a responsive educator means ensuring every interaction with ICT enhances trust, communication, and belonging. The ICT in Education Teacher Academy gives you the resources, reflection tools, and community support to make responsiveness a daily reality.
👉 How will you use technology to be more responsive to children’s needs this year? Join the ICT in Education Teacher Academy and take your next step with confidence.
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Using Tech to Build Stronger Relationships in ECE
The relationships that children have with peers, adults and other people have a strong influence on how they use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) or what is known as digital technologies in their lives. As technology continues to permeate our lives in a profound manner the extent to which young children will learn from the people in their lives will also significantly impact their perspectives and use of ICT in society.
Throughout the Early Years Learning Framework early childhood teachers and carers are encouraged are to work towards responsive relationships in early childhood education. This is recognised in each of the key themes in the EYLF – Belonging, Being, and Becoming – and re-emphasised again in the Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies (Early Childhood Australia, 2019).
Within any early learning environment, relationships can be forged between child and child, child and early childhood educators, or parents and early childhood educators. Any developmentally appropriate practice should, therefore, always include a focus on the role of relationships in early learning and the important role of social interactions.
The many roles that ICT has can enhance relationships in early childhood education and care whether it is between children and adults, child and child, or parent and early childhood teachers (Office of Educational Technology):
“Technology can also be used to enhance relationships between children and adults and between children when distance or other barriers such as health prevent in-person interaction.”
Early Childhood Pedagogy
Pedagogical practices in early childhood education involve that of nurturing and building relationships. It represents the holistic nature of professional practice and strengthens the curriculum decision-making and the teaching and learning approach undertaken. Therefore, respectful relationships in early childhood education underpin the key principles involved in early childhood pedagogy.
As technology continues to have a profound impact on young children’s lives and the relationships that they are in with other people continue to influence the way they use and perceive technology pedagogical practices in early childhood education must break the habit of ‘taking it for granted’.
There is clear evidence relating to high quality pedagogical practices in early childhood education services. For example, “the relationship between child and caregiver has a critical impact on the developing structure of the child’s brain that influences his/her capacities and capabilities in adult life. Early experiences activate genetic expression resulting in the formation of critical neural pathways within the brain” (Child Australia, 2021, p. 6). This evidence from neuroscience stresses the need for positive relationships in early childhood education.
Early childhood pedagogy that involves technology use, therefore, depends on your ability to nurture and respect relationships between child and child, child and early childhood teacher, and also parent/carer and early childhood teacher. Relationships are a critical aspect of technological pedagogical practices in early childhood education.
Child Learning
Throughout the Early Years Learning Framework the role that relationships in early childhood education play is considerable. Children’s play is dynamic, holistic and complex and assists children to develop relationships and concepts. It will be your teaching strategies and the relationships that you form with children and their families that ensure will have a significant effect on their involvement and success in ICT learning.
Children can learn with digital technology in early childhood education in the following ways:
- Sharing positive experiences by co-viewing digital media and supporting child-adult relationships;
- Sharing how they have learned to use a particular digital technology with their peers and actively teaching each other functions of the digital technology;
- Collaboratively working in teams together on digital technology as a result of early childhood teachers creating opportunities for this to occur.
It is a priority for you as an early childhood teacher to nurture relationships and provide them with consistent emotional support so that you can assist children in the development of ICT techniques and skills in ICT capability.
Creativity and Collaboration
By doing this, two other important aspects of the EYLF are achieved. That is to value collaboration and teamwork – both significant to the effective use of technology in early childhood education. To maximise the learning potential of ICTs in early childhood creativity, communication and collaboration must be emphasised.
As the second guiding principle in DATEC, the use of digital technology at your early childhood education and care centre states that you should encourage collaboration with technology and ask key questions such as:
- How is the technology provided?
- Are areas around a tape recorder, CD-player or computer inviting for adults and children to sit together?
- Are children able to combine materials effectively together: for example, to add Bee Bots to play with blocks so that they have a context for shared imagination and problem solving?
(Harriet, 2009, p2)
In relation to creativity, it is essential that you encourage, nurture, and extend children’s creativity through your relationships and interactions with them. This can best be achieved if you provide them with a wide range of open-ended and meaningful ICT experiences with plenty of opportunities to explore and interact with others.
Buidling Relationships in early childhood education and care can be fostered and built upon when you share and document children’s learning with themselves, families and each other. The use of digital technology can help achieve this and some key examples include:
- Computer software such as PowerPoint to share the learning journey children take;
- Projectors along with IWB and screens can share displays with large groups of children, parents and adults;
- Digital cameras and recorders such as webcams, stand-alone cameras and that exists on tablet computers and smartphones.
The Role of Technology in Building Responsive Relationships in Early Childhood Education
What is Early Childhood Education Technology?
When we talk about early childhood education and technology, we are referring to the purposeful use of digital tools such as tablets, interactive whiteboards, digital cameras, coding toys, and online platforms to support children’s learning and wellbeing. Technology in this context is not an “add-on” but a tool that, when used well, strengthens the foundations of relationships in early childhood education.
As the Early Childhood Australia Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies explains, digital tools should be understood within the relationships children have with peers, educators, and families (ECA, 2018). This means that technology use is most valuable when it supports collaboration, communication, and trust — the hallmarks of responsive pedagogy.
Why Technology Matters for Relationships
The role of technology in early childhood education goes beyond teaching digital skills. It fosters belonging and connection by creating opportunities for joint attention. For example, children collaborating on a digital drawing, or educators and children revisiting photos of a group activity, are moments where technology facilitates dialogue, empathy, and reflection. Research highlights that these shared digital experiences are linked to stronger bonds between children and adults (Brightwheel).
Factors Influencing Digital Technology Use
The factors influencing digital technology use in early childhood education include:
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Educator confidence and training – how comfortable teachers feel with ICT tools.
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Access and resources – the availability of developmentally appropriate technologies.
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Family perspectives – how families view technology’s role in learning and communication.
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Pedagogical intentionality – whether digital tools are used to replace or to enrich relational interactions (Aspire Early Education).
These factors determine whether technology promotes isolation or becomes a tool for building relationships in ECE.
The Impact of Technology on Relationships in ECE
The impact of technology in early childhood education is most visible in how it enables responsive relationships:
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Children engage in peer collaboration by co-playing with coding toys or co-viewing digital media.
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Educators strengthen trust and security by revisiting digital documentation with children, affirming their learning journeys.
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Families build partnerships with educators when children’s progress is shared digitally, inviting dialogue and shared responsibility (Digital Child CRC).
This is why many researchers argue that why technology is important in early childhood education is less about the device itself, and more about how it supports responsive and equitable relationships.
Examples of Pedagogy: How Technology Builds Relationships
Here is a visual overview of how technology integrates into pedagogy to support responsive relationships:
| Technology Practice | Relational Focus | Example of Pedagogy in ECE |
| Digital storytelling | Builds empathy and communication | Children co-create a story on a tablet with an educator, taking turns narrating, drawing, and sharing their ideas. |
| Digital photography & portfolios | Strengthens educator–family partnerships | Children take photos of their play; educators upload them to digital portfolios and invite family feedback, sparking shared conversations. |
| Coding toys (e.g., Bee-Bots) | Encourages collaboration and teamwork | Pairs of children plan and test sequences together, learning turn-taking, negotiation, and joint problem-solving. |
| Video calls | Connects children with distant family | Children video-chat with grandparents, reinforcing belonging and identity through shared stories and cultural traditions. |
| Interactive whiteboards | Promotes joint attention and group learning | Small groups work together on a digital mural, while educators guide dialogue about sharing, creativity, and cooperation. |
These examples of pedagogy in early childhood education show that technology, when integrated intentionally, enhances relationships rather than replacing them.
How the Membership Supports Educators
Inside the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, educators move beyond theory into practice by:
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📘 Using Workbook tools (planning templates, observation guides, and reflection prompts) to embed relationship-focused goals into technology use.
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Gaining professional learning that explains how technology strengthens relationships and aligns with EYLF principles of Belonging, Being, and Becoming.
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Participating in a community of educators who share strategies for family engagement through digital portfolios and reflective documentation.
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Accessing examples of pedagogy that model how technology can enrich peer collaboration, empathy, and educator responsiveness.
This ensures that technology is always used to promote responsive relationships, not just as a digital skillset.
✅ Early childhood education technology is important because it strengthens the relationships at the heart of learning. With intentional use, it builds trust, belonging, and collaboration between children, educators, and families.
👉 How will you use technology to foster stronger connections in your classroom? Join the ICT in Education Teacher Academy and gain the tools and support to make it happen.
Building Responsive Relationships in Early Childhood Education
Relationships are the cornerstone of early childhood education. Secure, respectful connections with children and families underpin every element of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), shaping identity, belonging, and wellbeing. Neuroscience confirms that these early interactions influence brain development and lay the foundation for lifelong learning. Simply put, when relationships thrive, so does learning.
As digital technologies become part of children’s everyday lives, they too are woven into the way relationships form and grow. Technology can support children to collaborate with peers, co-view and co-play with adults, and stay connected with families even across distance. For educators, the challenge is not just what tools are used, but how technology is intentionally embedded into pedagogy to enhance responsive relationships.
Key Takeaways for Educators
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Relationships in ECE are central to belonging, being, and becoming, and must remain at the heart of pedagogy.
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Technology, when used intentionally, can strengthen child–adult and child–peer relationships through shared experiences and collaboration.
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Family partnerships grow stronger when learning is shared digitally through photos, portfolios, and joint reflections.
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Responsive educators use technology not as a substitute, but as a tool to extend empathy, creativity, and collaboration.
✅ Inside the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, members are supported to apply these principles through guided reflection, family engagement strategies, and a professional community that helps turn theory into practice.
👉 How will you use relationships — and technology — to create stronger connections in your classroom? Join the ICT in Education Teacher Academy and take your next step with confidence.
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