The moment your child was born their identity was being constructed and influenced by three things. First, they found themselves born somewhere, in a location that would shape their identity. Then they found themselves in a family, who would have the greatest influence on who they would become.
Finally, you give them a name and before they had caught their first breathe their unique identity was being constructed and influenced.But identity doesn’t finish there. Throughout their lifetime, they will construct an image of who they are. That image will be influenced by every person that they meet, everything they experience and everywhere that they go.
In the first 5 years of life, the construction of identity sets a child up for the rest of their lives. While constructing an image of themselves children will ask questions like:
‘can I trust the world?’
‘Is it okay to be me?’ and
‘Is it okay for me to do, move and act?’
Eric Erikson proposed that a child seeks to answer these existential questions at certain times during their first five years.
- In the first year of a child’s life, it’s the question ‘can I trust the world?’
- One year to three years of age, it’s the question ‘is it okay to be me?’
- Three years to five years of age, it’s the question ‘Is it okay for me to do, move and act?’
He also proposed five other existential questions that we ask ourselves during later parts of our lives, but for now we will concentrate on these first three fundamental questions.
At First Steps, recognising and nurturing each child’s unique identity is foundational to our philosophy. The things we do and say to children have an influence on their image of their identity. Through our actions and interactions, we are giving children answers to their existential questions. When we sit with a baby and laugh and talk as we feed them, we are telling them that they can trust us. When we celebrate the success of a two-year-old as they show their new trick lets them know that it’s okay for them to be themselves. And when we allow three and four-year-olds to make choices and resource their own ideas, then we are teaching them that it’s okay for them to do, move and act in a way that is comfortable for them.
In our Possum Patch (6 weeks – 20months)
Our educators understand the importance of babies ques. Learning the individual routines of each baby is so important. But creating a social environment where babies can flow in their individual routines is key. The idea of a room routine in Possum Patch is almost non-existent. Creating this kind of environment requires a focus on partnering with families to learn how routines flow at home. It requires quality time and interactions with individual children to build an understanding of how they communicate. It also requires educators to be calm, patient, multitasking baby whisperers. The end product is babies that feel safe and secure, who trust their educators to be there, when they need them, with what they need. They are learning that they can trust the world around them.
In our Koala Court (16 months – 2.5yrs)
Educators do something simple each morning and afternoon to build a strong sense of identity into our Koala children. They very deliberately say good morning and goodbye using the children’s names. This may sound too simple, but so much of how we see ourselves is wrapped up in how our name is used by others. Each morning the children come together and sing a good morning song where every child is welcomed by name, and they respond with a ‘choo choo.’ This simple activity validates the children are okay to be who they are, helping to build a strong sense of identity.
In the Platypus Place (2yrs to 3yrs)
Educators use transitions as a great way for children to build their sense of identity at this age. When children finish group learning they use simple games to build identity and make transitioning to play or mealtimes smooth for children. One game they have been doing lately is the postman game. In this activity, children search for their names on little envelops and then post them in a mailbox. It is a very simple game, but like the Koala’s song it validates the children for being who they are.
In our Wombat Hollow (3yrs to 4yrs)
The children have a class book called ‘The Proud Parent Book.’ This book is shared around the class and each child gets an opportunity to take it home. At home, parents can add photos and a story about something their child has done. The next day the child brings the book back to Wombat Hollow and shares their story with their peers. This small story validates the child’s experiences from home and provides them with the answer to the question “is it okay for me to do, move and act?”. And the answer is always yes.
In Kangaroo Corner (4yrs to 5yrs)
Our Educators base their program upon the children’s ideas. When children come to daycare sharing an idea and / or an experience, educators will follow this thought and create opportunities for children to expand on their ideas. Sometimes children share their ideas during group times, sometimes they share their ideas in their writing books. However, they choose to share their ideas, it creates learning opportunities for the children to open up to educators, who then resource their ideas and create time and space for children to explore these with their peers. This kind of learning validates not only the child’s ideas but also their actions towards furthering their ideas.
As children move through the first five years of life, they draw from many experiences to build an image of their identity. It is our job as educators and parents to do what we can to positively influence a child’s image of themselves. This is a job we take very seriously here at First Steps and are honoured to play a pivotal role in positively influencing all our children’s identity.
