education

Friendship as an integration of the elements of self-concept. Engaging young children with activities that model and teach friendship integrates all the elements of self-concept. Many types of activities can be used to promote friendship, pro-social skills, and a sense of community and belonging. Such activities might include those listed in Table 9.3. Place Your […]

Peer Acceptance Visions of America / SuperStock Children who want to join play stand a better chance of being welcomed if there are four or more children already in the group. Through observation and interactions with children, early educators learn to distinguish between general acceptance of a child by his peers and true friendships between

Healthy Social Relationships More From the Field Director Beverly Prange offers examples of the range of social behaviors a preschool teacher might expect. Critical Thinking Question How did Beverly’s comments relate to considerations for planning the physical environment to support social interactions? With young children, developing healthy social relationships depends a great deal on a

Strategies and Examples for Developing Confidence and Self-Esteem Strategy Example Encourage trial and error, so children learn that mistakes are a normal part of progress and the way we learn what does work. Trying several different combinations of paint to make green. Share your own experiences with success, failure, and problem solving. “Last weekend I

Strategies for Promoting the Development of Personal Identity Activity Focus Sample Activities Mirrors Place mirrors strategically around the classroomvertically, horizontally, or diagonallyperhaps even on the ceiling. Provide hand mirrors and/or a magnifying mirror in the dramatic play area. Consider making or purchasing a pyramid-shaped structure that children can crawl inside with mirrors on the inside

Personal Identity Young children tend to describe themselves in concrete terms, according to what they look like, what they can do, or what they like or don’t like. They can’t typically provide a description with multiple, integrated or qualitative characteristics until middle childhood (Hendrick & Weissman, 2007). Therefore it makes sense to do activities with

Self-Concept and Socialization More From the Field Preschool director Heather Addy Crider talks about the importance of supporting a child’s independence and self-esteem. Critical Thinking Questions Why is it important for children to be able to choose their own activities and have some independent time? What other developmental benefits might be gained by allowing children

Teacher Practices and Interaction Patterns iStockphoto / Thinkstock Teachers use words and body language to show affection for and interest in individual children. In many ways, a teacher or caregiver’s behavior and interaction patterns are as important to children’s social and emotional development as any materials or activities in the classroom (California Department of Education,

The Social-Emotional Learning Environment Providing an environment that promotes healthy social and emotional development requires considering the social ecology of the classroom (van Hoorn, Nourot, Scales, & Alward, 2011), or how interaction patterns vary according to setting and type of activity. Think of social ecology from the perspective of Bronfenbrenner, as a network of individual