As we enter the spring months, we take notice of the new life all around us. The grass is getting greener, the buds of leaves are starting to show, and the sun is staying out for longer. The children of School-age 2 at RisingOaks Early Learning | John Sweeney took the time this month to take notice of themselves, their own personal growth and what makes them unique.
After taking the time in February to learn about the children’s interests, one of our educators got an idea. While looking around at craft inspiration to bring back to the classroom, she found blank face cut-outs. What if we challenged the children to create a self portrait only from their memory of what they look like? Would this lead to insight on how the children view themselves? How would their individual personalities shine through? What connections could the children make through using art as a means for self discovery?
The children gathered around their educator, Jaden, and discussed what set them apart from others. “My eyes and hair are brown”, “my eyes sometimes look green”, and “I have dark curly hair and dark eyes” are some of the responses the children gave Jaden. When it came time to fill in the outline and draw how they felt they looked, Jaden sat with the children. She observed Nico feeling his hair before attempting to draw it, and Finn choosing to draw in a cartoon style rather than a realistic style. This showed to Jaden that the children wanted to put their very own uniqueness onto their self portrait. Avika was drawing herself in a shirt with hearts all over. When asked why she didn’t draw the shirt she was actually wearing instead, she informed her educator that the heart shirt was her favourite shirt but it was at home. Theo, on the other hand, gave himself one blue eye and one red eye. When asked about it, he excitedly explained how he wished he had those eye colours instead! Moments like these give educators insight about who each child truly is on a deeper level, as well as give the children confidence in their interests and wants.
According to the Early Learning for Every Child Today document put out by Best Start Panel on Early Learning, self-concept falls under the social developmental category. Self-concept is an important skill for school age children to learn as it helps them acquire an important guide for their behaviour and social relationships. By curating an environment that supports and encourages individuality and diversity, we can support the children of School Age 2 | RisingOaks John Sweeney to be the best versions of themselves every day. This activity and similar activities help children build their self-concept, but also their self-esteem, identity formation and representation abilities.
The children of School Age 2 at RisingOaks | John Sweeney already have such a strong understanding of themselves, their interests, and their wants. They are inspirational to their educators, who also get to know more about their own selves, as they continue on this adventure of self discovery with the group. We are excited to see where the rest of this year takes us on our adventure of discovering ourselves.
