Children’s self-concept develops rapidly at one to three years. Self-concept begins with self-awareness that in young children is intrinsically related to their physical selves. There are three related elements: personality, competencies and features.
1. Personality
‘What am I like?’ Much of this will be reflected by adults. Be aware of the power of the parental narrative here. Children are often designated as being shy/reckless, difficult/easy and as having particular likes, dislikes and competencies.
Listen to how often children repeat what adults say about them – it may not be what you have noticed or experienced. Be aware obesity issues may emerge even at this age.
2. Competencies
‘What can I do?’ Usually much more than we realise. They need time, space and support to acquire skills. This starts off as ‘Look at me!’ then changes to ‘Look what I can do!’. We should proactively support their physical abilities, engage in their active play if welcome and continually let them know how much these skills are valued.
Any gender bias must be identified and called out. As Julia Manning-Morton reminds us, this may be evident from birth: within the first 24 hours of a baby’s life, parents/carers behave differently towards boys and girls and have different expectations of their behaviour. Boys are handled more vigorously, such as bouncing and holding up in the air, thereby reinforcing any innate predisposition to movement, while girls are held closely and smiled at more, reinforcing social communication.
3. Features
‘What do I look like?’ Young children are very interested in their changing, developing bodies. They will examine each other closely, particularly hair, clothes and shoes. The adult narrative is critical at this point because children pick up very clear messages as to what merits status, and this often includes deep cultural references. An awareness of possible comparing, contrasting and competing is essential.
The ‘key elements of human emotional need’ appear frequently in social psychology literature, and aligning them with movement practice in the early years provides an interesting additional dimension to the field. They are as follows:
The need to feel competent
Being able to do things physically opens up ever-expanding horizons as children investigate and explore different environments. As their language skills increase, they use appropriate language to effect a wider range of outcomes when engaging physically with their peers and adults. Achievements are always unique and personal and may range from very small skills such as holding a spoon to bigger ones including climbing stairs.
It is important to understand what this means to each child. Perhaps check your value system here: how much do you allow physical competency to flourish? Is it supported just as long as it is not time-consuming, annoying, messy or risky?
The need to feel autonomous
So much of early childhood involves children having things done to them, procedures that are often intrusive and sometimes painful. Practising movement skills gives them a small window of opportunity to be autonomous, to make independent decisions as to when, where, how and with whom to engage. They need time to complete physical tasks independently. How much do you value this and how do you support or prevent? Self-care, including handwashing, teeth-cleaning, toileting and feeding, becomes very important at this age.
The need to feel significant
All children need to feel that they matter. The value we place on their physical skills will have a direct impact on the way they view themselves. Achievements and success during the early years are almost entirely physical. It has been suggested that vocabulary scores at age five are a predictor of later curricular success, although the effectiveness of current assessment procedures to support this claim should be seriously questioned.
However, to ensure children are confident communicators, and can use a wide range of vocabulary, they need plenty of opportunities to move and work together physically. Not only will they have something to talk about, but language will be rehearsed and refined in a relevant, meaningful context. It is also worth remembering that Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Childstipulates that children and young people must be given the right to express their views in all matters affecting them.
The need to belong
‘Belonging’ is not well defined in literature and tends to be a taken-for-granted concept – one that everyone agrees is important, but translating this into practice can be a little vague. In the Early Years Framework for Learningin Australia, it features prominently, and in New Zealand’s Te Whariki, a main strand is ‘Identity and Belonging’.
A recent study aimed to determine practitioners’ views on ten domains of ‘belonging’ – emotional, social, spatial, temporal, cultural, legal, ethical/moral, political, physical and spiritual. In this paper, it is suggested that physical belonging ‘encompasses physical affinity with the landscape and a deep sensual appreciation of its sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures’.
It does – but the remit is much wider. In physical terms, ‘belonging’ implies a profound sense of affinity with self and a peaceful relationship with the body that translates into easy physical engagement with others and the environment. Children also feel a physical sense of belonging by recognising shared attributes and abilities and by having the skills needed to join in, keep up and contribute.
What ‘good’ movement looks like at this age
- Being able to change positions with ease, moving fluently from lying to sitting to kneeling to standing – and back again.
- Managing bodyweight by using appropriate props if necessary, e.g. chairs, stairs.
- Crawling and clambering unaided with co-ordination, strength and balance over different terrains.
- Being able to stop independently and when asked.
- Making the appropriate connection between a specific task and the required movement skill; choosing the right direction, correct speed and level of energy expenditure.
- Negotiating obstacles with ease – and being aware of possible risks.
- Being able to move slowly and be still if/when necessary.
- Being equally competent and confident moving without shoes or in bare feet.
This is an edited extract from The Early Years Movement Handbook, out now (Jessica Kingsley, £16.99).
