Love-based relationships between teachers and students in early childhood education

Abstract

As a philosophical basis of education, ‘love’ is crucial to early childhood education. For this reason, early childhood education should cultivate young children’s loving attitudes. Hence, by analysing related work, this paper explored how love-based relationships may be developed between preschool teachers and young children in early childhood education. The methods are as follows: (1) fostering love in preschool teachers’ hearts; (2) creating loving relationships between preschool teachers and young children; (3) providing opportunities for young children to practice loving behaviour; (4) giving young children freedom; (5) maintaining an open dialogue; (6) emphasising democratic participation; (7) avoiding indoctrination; (8) respecting young children’s experiences and discoveries; (9) allowing young children to make choices and (10) understanding young children as individuals.

Introduction

Education originated as a social activity meant to cultivate individuals capable of productive labour in human society. Hence, education contributes to the continuation and development of human society. However, education in a capitalist socioeconomic context too often perpetuates social and economic inequalities; this is true for childhood education (Klees, 2021; Sun, 1955).

Early childhood education has existed since human society formed. Over time, human beings have not only gained material production experience but formed a complex social lifestyle. Human offspring do not have the ability to live independently after birth, and thus, they must be given necessary care and education by adults. Early childhood education emerged because children must obtain certain knowledge and life experiences to survive. The early childhood years are pivotal because they mark the beginning of a young child’s lifelong educational journey (Ang et al., 2020; Sun, 1955).

Formal education is a uniquely human activity. Lions and tigers do not write books about their educational visions. Human beings, however, construct educational concepts and share their visions of education with others. Throughout history, human culture has become more diverse due to the flourishing development of education. Therefore, education can be considered the foundation of nation building. To effectively build a nation, education must be comprehensive (Sun, 1955).

Among all stages of education, early childhood education is the most important. Early childhood education is a tool by which human beings can inherit knowledge and skills from the past. Preschool education has been deemed a critical period for young children’s cognitive development, school preparation and success, language development and learning motivation and social and emotional competence (Yoleri, 2016). Beyond their physical needs for food, water, shelter and hygiene, young children need plenty of emotional and cognitive support, love and nurturing. Adult caregivers should focus on expressing love and affection for their children every day (Oswalt et al., 2021).

In such a meaningful activity, we should pay close attention to the needs of young children. According to Fromm’s explanation, humans have five different psychological needs, namely, relational needs (love and being loved), transcendence needs (creation and invention), rooting needs (safe implementation), integration needs (independence) and directed needs (life goals; Corey, 1991). Among these, related needs (love and being loved) are particularly important for young children. More specifically, young children in early childhood education need ‘love’ to activate their learning and growth. Consequently, developing love-based relationships between preschool teachers and young children is critical.

Love has many definitions. The Greek word ‘agape’ describes a spiritual love, widely considered to be the highest form of human love because of its selfless, giving quality. Each young child is a lively and vibrant human being, and throughout early childhood education, preschool teachers should focus on creating a loving experience for children so that their relationships foster love rather than indifference.

Philosophy uses a documentary analysis approach to obtain information through objective and systematic literature analysis. A philosophy can be developed with respect to young children that is not tied to either developmental psychology or neuroscience but rather links itself to history and the philosophical tradition; the aim of such of a philosophy is to cultivate a critical perspective on the world beginning in early childhood. The ideas presented herein are based on an analysis of relevant studies as well as deductive and inductive reasoning; on the basis of such ideas, we explore the effects of love-based relationships between teachers and students in early childhood education and develop a philosophy of education for deployment in the teaching of young children. Sequentially, this paper first analyses relevant literature to explore the meaning of ‘love’. Next, it explains the goals of developing love-based relationships between preschool teachers and young children in early childhood education. Finally, it analyses methods for developing these love-based relationships. This study provides a foundation for future research. This study adopted the documentary analysis method (Shih, 2018, 2020, 2021; Tesar, 2021, 2021b; Yang, 1989).

Meaning of love

Because humans are sentient, the existence of human emotions, including love, can undoubtedly be traced to the beginning of human history and literature. In Ancient Greece, Homer wrote of Aphrodite and Eros, Olympian deities representing love. Plato and Aristotle sought to define the concept and categories of ‘love’, identifying categories such as eros and philia; they enquired into the purpose and nature of the emotion. The Christian era led to the introduction of new aspects of love, namely, agape and caritas (Lin, 1997, 2004).

In the 20th century, the Western tradition divided love into four categories. The first is sexual love, also called ‘lust’ or ‘libido’. The second type is ‘eros’, which is described by the ancient Greeks as the driving force of reproductive or creative desire culminating in higher forms of existence and relationships. The third type is philia, which describes friendship. The fourth type is agape or the love of God or fraternity in Latin. Agape entails the pursuit of happiness for others, and its prototype is God’s love for mankind. Humans may experience love in all four of these forms in different proportions (May, 1969).

‘Love’ clearly encompasses many meanings and connotations. Whether its precise meaning is eros, philia, agape or later sex. Love is an essential phenomenon of life (Chang, 1994). In addition, in the book The Art of Loving, Fromm (1956) divided love as follows: (1) Brotherly love entails responsibility, care and respect for other human beings. As the Christian Bible states, ‘love one’s neighbour as oneself’. Brotherly love is love for all human beings. (2) Motherly love describes the relationship between mother and child. This is an unequal relationship, where one party needs help and the other gives help. Derived from this altruistic and unselfish nature, maternal love is regarded as a noble love. (3) Erotic love is the desire to be completely integrated with another person and become one. By nature, this love is exclusive, not universal. (4) Self-love can be regarded as selfish. Love and self-love are incompatible and mutually exclusive. (5) Love of God is not about understanding God in your thoughts, nor is it intending to love God in your heart.

‘Love’ is a diverse and ambiguous concept that is difficult to describe in a clear, objective definition. In terms of interpersonal interactions, love exists in people. ‘Love’ can be a type of motivation, spirit or even an ability. Love in early education serves to create a learning environment where young children can use and develop their own resources and eventually reach the fullest expression of their abilities (Tien, 1995; Webster-Stratton, 1999).

Reasons to develop love-based relationships in early childhood education

Young children need love

According to Fromm, people have five primary needs, namely, relational needs, transcendence, rootedness, integration and targeted needs. The need for love and relationships starts from birth, when children require the care and comfort of their mothers. Their most affectionate attachment is to the mother (Corey, 1991; Fromm, 1956; Jia, 1992; Oswalt, et al., 2021).

Harlow separated young apes from their mothers after birth to observe their behavioural responses and compared them with young apes that had not been isolated. Both groups of apes had the same nutrition, but the quarantined apes exhibited a negative impact on their emotional development without having had the comfort of the mother ape’s love. Accordingly, love is important to the survival of sentient creatures (Jia, 1992).

Jia (1992) further observed that humans not only need to accept love but to give love. That is, individuals must be loved and love others. Being loved helps people feel psychologically safe. Young children need the love of adults, specifically that of their mothers, and they also love their mothers. Only after children’s emotional development matures through close family relationships can their love be extended to other people. Love is a basic emotion and a critical factor in the development of personality (Jia, 1992).

Love helps young children to grow and develop

Human babies, like other animals, cannot separate themselves from the world around them. The care of their parents is an instinctive physiological need, but as children mature, they develop self-awareness. Later, they recognise the existence and autonomy of others besides themselves. People have both feelings and reason, and when they receive the attention and care of others, they naturally feel accepted and respected. Simultaneously, they understand that loving others and being loved are necessary conditions for their survival. Adults should infuse their children with love for life, not just the desire to live (Chu, 2008; Fromm, 1956). In this regard, Wang (1990) concluded that survival is the most important goal for newborn babies, but survival is not guaranteed if only the needs of the body are met. According to the observations of doctors and scholars, love is the most important nourishment for babies. Unless they are loved, they cannot grow and develop into healthy people. Love can assist in the growth and development of young children (Wang, 1990).

Neuroscientific research has revealed the pivotal role love plays in children’s development; however, young children spend an increasing amount of time in out-of-home care, which means whether they can receive love in such a context – a context in which parental love is conspicuously absent – has become a critical topic of discussion in early childhood education research (Aslanian, 2018).

Goals of love-based relationships in early childhood education

Education can be a unique, ‘love-based’ activity. Young children should be placed at the centre of the teaching–learning process. Many preschool teachers understand this and attempt to improve their teaching approach for the benefit of their pupils (Shih, 2020f, 2021a).

‘Love’ is an activity, an active force in human life. Therefore, without love, hope cannot exist; love is an act of courage and commitment to others. According to psychological analysis, ‘love’ is the performance of behaviours such as caring, understanding, comforting, encouraging, helping and supporting. It can facilitate relaxation and raise people’s spirits when they are unhappy. People do not attack others when they feel relaxed and happy. Therefore, ‘love’ can help young children get along harmoniously in the classroom, suggesting that love should be at the core of teacher–student interactions in early childhood education (Freire, 2000; Fromm, 1956; Wang, 1990). Moreover, love is the highest form of human communication. In the hierarchy of needs, love stands as a crucial developing agent of a person’s humanity, offering further evidence that love should be the centre of the preschool curriculum (Montagu, 2021). Love, understood as both a teaching quality and practice, is a key aspect of early childhood education (Zhang, 2019).

Importance of love in teacher–student relationship patterns

Ashley et al. (1969) divided classroom teaching models into three teacher–student relationship patterns: teacher oriented, subject oriented and learner oriented. The various patterns of teacher–student interaction are described in the subsections that follow.

Teacher oriented

In this pattern, the learning process is entirely teacher-centred, and the teacher is regarded as the embodiment of virtue in the classroom. To make the teaching process go smoothly, it must be controlled through rewards and punishments, and the basis of control is high-pressure coercion. This type of teaching pattern advocates that teachers should teach social values to students, and teachers have status as representatives of social culture; therefore, teaching should be teacher-centred, with the role of students being that of passive recipients of knowledge. The teacher–student relationship formed by this teaching method is relatively tense and can be categorised as a ‘management type’ of teaching (Ashley et al., 1969; Chou, 1997).

Subject oriented

In this pattern, students expect to obtain useful and relevant knowledge. Teachers also gain some teaching authority from their own professional knowledge and qualifications, and the purpose of teaching is to enable students to understand the meaning of the subject. Teaching should be based on specialisation and professional knowledge, and professional authority should be used to transfer knowledge to students. Therefore, this teacher–student relationship is classified as a ‘practical’ approach (Ashley et al., 1969; Chou, 1997).

Student oriented

This teaching pattern emphasises the students’ learning process and the students. Teachers are regarded as promoters of students’ development. Teachers should understand that students are social beings and consider their social context. Students’ psychological factors and external social factors should also be highlighted when teaching. Hence, this pattern holds that teaching should be based around the goal of developing students’ potential and meeting the needs for physical and mental development. Student-oriented teaching attaches importance to ‘democratic participation’, and the role of the teacher is to guide and assist students. This type of teacher–student relationship is more harmonious and more humane than the others (Ashley et al., 1969; Chou, 1997).

This analysis suggests that a student-oriented classroom teaching model can encourage democratic participation and loving and harmonious teacher–student relationships. Moreover, this model is based on mutual respect and equality and involves democratic communication in teacher–student interactions. Consequently, this model facilitates the development of love-based relationships between preschool teachers and young children in early childhood education and promotes children’s growth and learning. After all, relationships are crucial for young children. Studies have shown that the quality of teacher–child relationships influences not only children’s social and emotional development but also their relationships with peers, their academic success and their status within their classes at school (Yoleri, 2016). These results illustrate the essentiality of love and respect in teacher–student relationships. An education that is both democratic and humanising is vital for children (Ye and Shih, 2021). An education that allows for participation in decision-making at even an early age could benefit such students. To holistically and democratically engage students in the world should be an aim of education and should be considered in educational practice and policymaking (Hung, 2015).

Methods to develop love-based relationships

Fostering love in preschool teachers’ hearts

At a time of profound political, social and cultural change, the question of how to foster ideal relationships between preschool teachers and young children is more urgent than ever. The German educational philosopher E. Spranger wrote that the spirit of education can only grow in the elements of love. The implication is that the driving force of early childhood education is rooted in the deep love of preschool teachers’ human nature. Teachers’ love for life influences young children and has a profound impact on their personality. Therefore, preschool teachers need to have love in their hearts to cultivate loving young children. Thus, the next crucial question is how to implant love in the teacher–student relationship (Fromm, 1956; Spranger, 1971).

Creating loving relationships between preschool teachers and young children

In the early years of life, young children are naturally egocentric and inclined to think mostly about themselves and their immediate needs. They are not ready to consider the needs and feelings of others. Hence, preschool teachers should proactively create loving relationships with young children to model for young children how to empathise with others. Through sincere interactions, we can deeply understand the feelings of others. If education and caregivers seek to create loving relationships, they should accept and interact with young children in an open and sincere manner to take part in young children’s lives, help them empathise with each other and feel that they are cared for. Young children obtain the ability to love others when they are taught in a loving learning environment (Goodstart, 2018; Liu, 2009).

Providing opportunities for young children to practice loving behaviour

Preschools are among the main venues of young children’s socialisation, and preschool teachers play a crucial role in guiding young children to integrate into the classroom. In the process of early childhood education, young children should be given the opportunity to develop and practice the behaviour of loving others under continuous observation. Bandura (1977) suggested that rehearsal is critical; regardless of whether it is a mental exercise or practical operation, rehearsal is an excellent means to express love (Wortham, 1994). When young children can express loving behaviours, love-based relationships between preschool teachers and young children can be easily developed in early childhood education. Love can help young children to interact with their teachers and peers harmoniously and happily.

With the development of medical science and technology, the awareness of human health is rising, and average human life expectancy is increasing. Because raising young children is expensive, people’s willingness to give birth is reduced. In addition, many adults lack extra time to take care of the elderly and young people at home. Because of this shortage in manpower, young people and elderly adults can take care of each other, thereby learning from each other and meeting their own needs. This generational learning has become a development trend in Taiwanese preschools. The goal of Taiwanese generational learning is to cultivate young children’s love and care for elderly family members in this interactive process, which offers young children the opportunity to practice the loving behaviour illustrated by older generations.

Giving young children freedom

The spirit of humanism champions the pursuit, maintenance and safeguarding of human dignity, value and potential (Guo, 2009; Shih and Wang, 2021). A humanistic spirit is critical for young children; therefore, many preschools seek to instil it through ‘freedom-based’ early childhood education.

Montessori noted that young children increase their independence through the process of acquiring new abilities. Only by allowing this process to function freely can children develop and grow naturally. Children develop by constantly applying the independence they have gained. In short, development does not occur in a vacuum. Children’s behaviour is the product of their environmental experiences, and they should enjoy complete freedom; therefore, preschool teachers should provide young children with ample time for multidimensional creativity and exploration, and society should promote policies protective of children’s independence and natural functions. Only in young children can we see the true reflection of nature, which gives them freedom, independence and vitality. Nature follows eternal laws according to the age and needs of the individual, and freedom is among these fundamental laws of life. If young children’s freedom is restrained, they may retreat and hesitate to move forward, but it is possible to develop love-based relationships between preschool teachers and young children in early childhood education that can foster development while preserving freedom and independence (Montessori, 2004). However, preschool teachers should cultivate young children’s respect for other children’s freedom and encourage them to refrain from infringing on those freedoms.

Maintaining an open dialogue

The origins of educational philosophy can be traced back to Plato and Socrates; these philosophers recognised the importance of dialogue in human interaction and education (Shih, 2020d).

Interpersonal reasoning concerns the relationship between the participants in the dialogue, and the main purpose of interpersonal understanding is to maintain or develop the relationship in a more positive direction – dialogue should be flexible. The purpose of these dialogues may be to ease tension and anger, make the other person feel happy, relieve pressure with humour or give each other a chance to relax. Interpersonal mutual understanding usually involves seeking an appropriate response. In general, people rely on precise arguments to make appropriate responses based on logic. Nonetheless, educators should keep in mind that to achieve mutual understanding in interpersonal relationships, the goal of our response is living full of vitality, not a rigid argument in the dialogue (Noddings, 1999).

Noddings explained that dialogue is open-ended discussion, rather than a simple conversation or debate. Its purpose is not to win but to gain awareness of others and cross the ideological gap through communication. Therefore, in the teacher–student dialogue, the teacher cannot presuppose a position or attempt to make any predetermined decisions (Noddings, 1995, 1998).

Only by having an open dialogue between preschool teachers and young children, can loving teacher–student relationships be developed instead of indifferent or ruthless ones. As the German philosopher Heidegger wrote, ‘caring’ is the essence of life, and it describes the attitude of loving the universe, the world and all things in life. Therefore, only through caring teacher–student relationships can we nurture children with universal loving attitudes (Noddings, 1998).

Emphasising democratic participation in teaching

Children start school with some life experience. Each child needs a specific level of support, and a healthy learning environment is a type of support. A healthy learning environment is an important condition for the appropriate development of children and the cultivation of their personalities and sociabilities. Democratic participation is a step that cannot be ignored in the process of shaping the ideal learning environment. Therefore, in preschool education, teachers should emphasise democratic participation and ensure that the concept of democracy is deeply rooted in their teaching practice. By promoting teaching activities that respect the learning needs of young children, it is possible to develop a love-based relationships between preschool teachers and young children (Kartal et al., 2016; Peters et al., 2020).

Avoiding indoctrination

Teachers’ authority should be reasonable and legal, not authoritarian. Under the guidance of an authoritative educational philosophy, students can only abide by the rules set by the teacher, which causes them to assume a passive role in their education and to develop an incomplete view of reality because of indoctrination. In truth, teachers should not manipulate nor brainwash their students. By avoiding indoctrination, the teacher–student relationship can be improved (Freire, 2000; Shor and Freire, 1987; Tesar, 2014).

Indoctrination is a constant topic of discussion in education. Some philosophers argue that educational activities should completely exclude indoctrination because indoctrination forces students to accept beliefs without thinking or reason, which distorts their healthy spiritual development (Li, 1996). Indoctrination does not give children ‘free thinking’ space, so preschool teachers should avoid indoctrination in their teaching practice; moreover, it is impossible to develop love-based relationships between preschool teachers and young children in early childhood education if indoctrination is used.

Respecting young children’s experiences and discoveries

Preschool teachers often guide children through the process of socialisation and integration into the classroom. First, teachers must evaluate the friendships and social interactions in the classroom. Under the guidance of teachers, children can develop cooperative and sharing behaviours. Teachers can use training or direct teaching to strengthen the development of appropriate social behaviours among young children. Frequent group interaction experiences, including cooperative learning activities, allow young children to understand that they can learn with others and support each other’s opinions. However, to encourage young children to respect the experiences of others, preschool teachers should first respect the children’s experiences and discoveries (Wortham, 1994).

Rather than dismiss the experiences and discoveries of young children, preschool teachers should recognise that all people have unique experiences and respect those of young children. Only in this manner can young children have the space to think freely so that they can tell their own life stories, thereby enhancing their fluency and originality. When preschool teaching philosophy is based on respect, it is possible to develop love-based relationships between preschool teachers and young children.

Allowing young children to make choices

When children learn to make decisions and consider the consequences of their actions, they make sound choices with fewer negative results. Children who learn problem-solving strategies, negotiation skills, peaceful play and cooperation are more likely to analyse their situations and make choices that are positive for themselves and others (DuPont et al., 1999).

In The Secret of Childhood, Montessori (1972) stated that children have a sensitive period, which lasts to approximately 5 years old, giving preschool students an amazing ability to absorb impressions from their environments.

Montessori (1963, 1999) noted that the knowledge gained during a sensitive period cannot be obtained in other developmental periods, and thus, the impressions and habits acquired in early childhood cannot be learnt later. Moreover, during the special sensitive period, children’s minds are like a soft wax and are highly sensitive to stimuli. After this period, this heightened sensitivity disappears.

Sensitivity is related to free choice. If children cannot enjoy specific experiences within a specific time arranged by nature, the sensitivity that attracts them may disappear, and their maturity may be hindered. This development can only be realised through children’s free activity in their environment, which has a profound effect on their lives (Montessori, 2004).

Montessori emphasised that children must be given the right to freely choose the teaching aids or activities with which they wish to interact in their prepared environments because then their decisions are not based on imitation or the teacher’s orders; instead, their choice can connect their mysterious inner world with the outer living environment. According to Montessori’s observation, children choose activities that fit their internal development when they are permitted to choose freely. Only with this freedom to choose the textbooks that they wish to ‘play’ with on their own can they exhibit spontaneous repetitive practice behaviours. In this manner, they can be attentively engaged, reaching the ‘extreme point of concentration’, which allows children’s bodies and minds to develop naturally – this Montessori considered to be true learning. Therefore, free choice is a physiological need of young children. Providing young children with the opportunity for free choice during the learning process is part of developing love-based relationships in early childhood education (Montessori, 2004; Wang, 2012).

Understanding young children as individuals

Building positive relationships with young children is an essential task and a foundational component of effective teaching. All children grow and thrive in the context of close and dependable relationships that provide love, security and responsive interactions. Positive adult–child relationships built on trust, care and love can foster young children’s cooperation and motivation and increase their positive outcomes at school (Webster-Stratton, 1999).

However, teachers must recognise the existence of numerous types of childhood, each constructed by our understandings of childhood and what children are and should be. Instead of waiting on scientific knowledge to tell us who children are, we have choices to make about who we think the child is, and these choices have enormous significance because our construction of the child and early childhood are productive. For this reason, preschool teachers should lovingly seek to understand children as individuals and foster their cooperation and motivation (Dahlberg et al., 1999; Webster-Stratton, 1999).

Reflections and conclusion

Reflections

Education is humanity’s greatest hope and most effective means to achieve sustainable development. This powerful statement was made in 1997 in the UNESCO report, ‘Educating for a Sustainable Future’ (UNESCO, 2008). Education is the foundation of a nation and the driving force behind social progress and development. It is a cornerstone to boost national competition. The early childhood stage is the foundation of all education. American educator Parker recognised the importance of love in the educational reformation process (Parker et al., 1901; Shih, 2020b). Developing love-based relationships between teachers and students in early childhood education is, therefore, essential.

Moreover, throughout history, middle and upper classes have used cultural hegemony to include their mainstream ideological culture in educational curricula. These classes possess more cultural capital than lower classes. These advantages lead to educational injustice. Preschool teachers should have deep faith in the principle that all children deserve the opportunities and resources to live complete, fulfilling lives. Therefore, the practice of love in preschool education should be nondiscriminatory, without distinction between social class or level of intelligence, and preschool teachers should practice educational love in their classrooms (Jia, 1992; Shih, 2020a).

The goal of education is creation: it creates valuable personalities, which can be considered individual achievements; nonetheless, it also creates a higher culture, which is a collective achievement. Therefore, the employment of ‘love’ in the educational context can help accomplish ideals and facilitate individual achievements in students; consequently, collective achievements may be realised that benefit mankind (Jia, 1992; Shih, 2020a). Teacher education institutions can include in their curricula a ‘History of Education’ course that introduces educators rich in educational love so that preservice teachers understand the practice of educational love. Finally, in the era of globalisation, technology and lifelong learning, preschool teachers must respond to societal changes while maintaining the understanding that love-based education is the starting point for preschool teaching (Ministry of Education, 2012; Shih et al., 2020).

In Taiwan, a preschool teacher named Guo Peirong has been teaching for more than 10 years. This educator has served as the director of a preschool for many years and has assisted in the planning of courses. Ms Guo has leveraged local resources to create opportunities for young children to clean a local beach, plant vegetables on an organic farm and implement a programme for low-carbon food consumption. Ms Guo’s love for children has manifested itself in a dedication to cultivating love-based relationships with students (Education Department, New Taipei City, 2021).

In another example, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746–1827) was a Swiss educator who had great enthusiasm for education. Pestalozzi developed an atmosphere of educational love and cultivated affection in his students; the results of this manifested as high spirits and a good temperament in the children. Pestalozzi is a clear example of a teacher with a love of education (Lin, 2013).

Conclusion

This paper addresses an essential subject: love in early childhood education. Young children who encounter sensitive and responsive interactions in educational settings go on to demonstrate superior cognitive, linguistic and social skills. With mothers either choosing or needing to work, young children can expect to spend more of their time in nonfamilial paid care of various types (Taggart, 2020), including preschools. Young children need love in their early years. For this reason, this paper first introduced the origins and importance of love for young children and then discussed four traditional definitions of love drawn from the Western literature: lust, eros, philia and agape. Second, this paper explored the meaning of love; third, it explained the rationale for developing love-based relationships between preschool teachers and young children in early childhood education. Finally, this paper explored methods of developing love-based relationships between preschool teachers and young children in early childhood education. The methods are as follows:

1. Fostering love in preschool teachers to facilitate love for their students;

2. Creating loving relationships between preschool teachers and young children that are perceivable to the young children;

3. Providing opportunities for young children to practice loving behaviour, which will then enable the children to internalise the behaviour and better love the people around them;

4. Providing young children with freedom and thereby enabling them to perceive their teachers’ love and respect;

5. Maintaining an open dialogue between preschool teachers and young children to enable young children to understand the necessity for love and respect in human interactions;

6. Emphasising democratic participation to enable young children to express their feelings;

7. Avoiding indoctrination – young children must be viewed as valued and active participants in the learning process (Shih, 2018);

8. Enabling young children to learn through their own experiences and discoveries;

9. Allowing young children to make choices – the role of teachers in an active learning environment is to promote love (Shih, 2018); and

10. Developing ideals and understanding young children to be individuals; the development of each child has unlimited possibilities.

We hope that this discussion can promote the development of loving relationships between preschool teachers and young children so that students can live and learn happily and achieve the goals of early childhood education.