Child Development: Self-Esteem and Self-Awareness

Self-Esteem

• Self-esteem is how a child feels about themselves, specifically how much they value themselves and believe in their abilities.
• High self-esteem in children is seen when they feel worthy and believe they can do things well.
• Low self-esteem might cause a child to doubt their importance and capabilities.
• Self-esteem is part of self-concept, but focuses more on how much children value themselves.

Self-Awareness

• Self-awareness is knowing your own feelings, desires, and actions.
• It's being aware of what you're feeling and why you might be feeling that way.
• Self-esteem, on the other hand, is about how you judge and value yourself based on those feelings and actions.

Importance of Self-Esteem

• Positive self-esteem influences how children see themselves and their willingness to try new things.
• Children with high self-esteem are more likely to participate actively in class, face new challenges bravely, and keep trying even when things are tough.

Factors Influencing Self-Esteem

• Interactions with family members greatly impact a child's self-esteem.
• Positive constructive feedback from teachers and caregivers helps children develop a sense of capability and accomplishment.
• Peer interactions, such as making friends and playing cooperatively, enhance a child's feelings of social competence and acceptance.
• Experiences of success and failure also play a significant role in the development of self-esteem.
• The broader cultural and societal context can affect a child's self-esteem.

Self-Expression

• Self-expression in early childhood refers to the ways young children communicate their thoughts, feelings, and ideas to the world around them.
• Encouraging self-expression helps children understand themselves better and allows them to share their unique perspectives with others.
• It plays a crucial role in their emotional development, helping them to process their feelings and build confidence in their ability to communicate.

Ways of Self-Expression

• Verbal expression: using language to tell others what they need, want, and feel.
• Choice making: making decisions, such as what to play, what to wear, or which book to read.
• Artistic activities: art, drawing, painting, and crafting.
• Play: especially pretend play, which helps children try out different roles and situations.
• Physical expression: dancing, moving, and other physical activities.

Enhancing Self-Expression

• Encourage art and creativity, providing diverse materials and opportunities for creative activities.
• Foster a safe environment where children feel safe to express their ideas and feelings without judgment.
• Enable choice, allowing children to make decisions about their activities.
• Use open-ended questions to encourage children to think and express themselves more fully.
• Model expressive behavior, showing children how to express their emotions and ideas.

Importance of Materials in Self-Expression

• Materials support self-expression, allowing children to produce new understandings as they explore and discover.
• The more experiences children have with different materials, the more skillful they become in expressing and communicating ideas.
• Materials can lead to completely different forms of expression, depending on the child and the time of day.

Role of Dialogue in Self-Expression

• Dialogue alongside creative and expressive work is important, as it supports the child's expression and communication.
• Adults can support children's self-expression by watching and noticing what they do, and then adding a narration or dialogue to support their actions.