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Understanding Children’s Behaviour

Understand behaviour as communication and explore responsive ways to strengthen relationships and wellbeing.

What is Understanding Children's Behaviour?

Children’s behaviour is a form of communication. At Gowrie, we believe understanding what lies beneath behaviour is essential to building strong relationships, supporting children’s wellbeing and creating environments where every child feels safe, understood and able to thrive.

Understanding Children's Behaviour in Our Centres

In our centres, we focus on understanding the reasons behind children’s behaviour rather than simply responding to what we see. This means:

  • recognising behaviour as a form of communication and responding with curiosity rather than judgement
  • drawing on an understanding of brain development and the fight, flight or freeze response to guide our responses
  • creating environments that are calm, predictable and responsive, supporting children to feel safe and capable
  • building respectful, culturally responsive partnerships with families to understand each child’s strengths, experiences and needs
  • supporting educators to manage their own wellbeing and remain emotionally regulated so they can co-regulate with children and foster self-regulation over time.

Professional Learning on Understanding Children's Behaviour

Drawing on the 6R Framework developed by Catherine Neilsen-Hewett, and informed by its implementation across Gowrie services, our professional learning combines contemporary research with practical strategies educators can apply with confidence every day.

Available as a standalone professional learning program or through School Readiness Funding coaching, the program includes a six-part series of eLearning, workshops, webinars and coaching. The program supports educators to reflect on their practice, strengthen their responses to children’s behaviour and be able to:

  1. Explain the foundations of brain development, executive function and the fight-or-flight response, and recognise behaviour as a form of communication and development
  2. Analyse how environmental, relational and framework-based factors (including the 6R Framework) shape and respond to children’s behaviour
  3. Reflect on how personal perspectives, triggers and practice, including educator wellbeing and self-regulation influence responses to behaviour
  4. Collaborate with families in respectful, culturally sensitive and strengths-based ways to support consistent approaches to behaviour
  5. Apply practical, trauma-informed strategies including the 6Rs, environmental adjustments and self-regulation techniques to real or hypothetical scenarios.

The program can be accessed via Coaching on the School Readiness Funding menu or as a standalone professional learning program.

School Readiness Funding (SRF) Coaching

Building Educator Capability

In 2025, Gowrie received funding to strengthen educators’ confidence in responding to behaviours of concern through evidence-informed practice. Through this initiative, 35 early career educators, teachers, educational leaders and coaches participated in specialised professional learning designed to build capability and confidence in understanding and responding to children’s behaviour. In 2025/26, we also supported 54 educators in this area through our SRF coaching program.

Understanding children’s behavior as communication strengthens relationships

Educating children whilst understanding their behaviours allows you the headspace to support them with more confidence. In turn, this strengthens relationships allowing for children to thrive and learn to the best of their ability. By understanding behaviour as communication I feel empowered to predict and prevent triggers. I value the importance of coregulating with children to ensure best outcomes for all.

Stephen

Educator

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