2 minute read
Early Learning Centre
Children with a strong sense of self-worth feel competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and feel worthy of success and happiness. It is for these reasons that a child’s learning must be underpinned by positive self-esteem and a sense of self-confidence.
For children, self-esteem comes from knowing they belong to a family and community that values them. It is important that they are connected to people, as this gives them a sense of place. It also gives them the opportunity to relate to others. A child’s self-esteem can be nurtured through their relationships. Educators in St Catherine’s Early Learning Centre work towards developing children’s self-confidence and self-esteem. This is done by encouraging the children to have a go and try new experiences, and by celebrating their successes. We believe the children are competent and capable, and therefore provide them with the scope to become independent, have their own experiences, think for themselves, take considered risks and make their own decisions. By encouraging the children with their independence, and empowering them to make their own decisions, their confidence will begin to grow.
DEVELOPING
CONFIDENCE & SELF-ESTEEM IN YOUNG CHILDREN
RAISING CHILDREN 2022
Developing a positive attitude to learning and thinking is essential. Children need to develop a ‘can do’ attitude where they are willing to have a go and try new experiences. This is how they learn. Participation is about effort, persistence and improvement. Persistence will help them to develop ideas about their own capabilities while creating a strong self-concept. It is also important for children to celebrate the experience purely for the enjoyment that it brings. Coping with upset and disappointment is a part of life. This is something young children must develop the strategies to cope with. As educators, we do this by prompting the children to think about other ways of doing things, or encouraging them to try again. The children begin to understand that their upsets and disappointments can be used as a learning opportunity. This positive mindset helps to build up the child’s confidence and develops resilience. It is important to acknowledge and celebrate children’s achievements. This can be done by recognising the effort and determination they have put into a particular task or learning a new skill. This positive feedback helps the child to feel good about themselves. It is also important to acknowledge qualities such as kindness, tolerance and empathy as this reinforces to the child how important such character traits are.
The importance of self-esteem cannot be underestimated. It affects a child’s behaviour and their thoughts. It changes how they feel about themselves and affects their confidence. If we want to develop happy and successful young learners then we must first start with their self-esteem, as this sets the foundation for a lifetime of successful learning.
