Abstract
The objective of this paper was to clarify childcare workers’ supporting skills during picture book reading sessions for 1-year-olds. Natural and spontaneous interactions between child-care workers and children were observed over approximately a 1-year period. The following results were obtained. 1) During the reading sessions, the physical gestures used by child-care workers most frequently served to explain the story content, and eight varieties of gestures were observed, including the use of “hands and feet” and “finger pointing.” 2) Differences in childcare worker–child interactions and child–child interactions were also observed. Child-care worker–child interactions involved a greater variety and frequency of physical gestures. The results of 1) and 2) suggest that the child care worker relies on detailed clues (such as changes in the child’s voice) to adjust and respond to the child during interactions.
