Self Esteem of School Agers

03/27/2006

The fundamental job of a toddler is to rule the universe.
Lawrence Kutner

In their Beginnings Workshop article, "Setting the Stage for Children's Success: The Physical and Emotional Environment in School Age Programs" (Exchange, March 2006), Karen Haas-Foletta and Lori Ottolini-Geno offer these ideas on helping build self esteem in a school age setting...

"Self-esteem is our ability to appreciate our own personal worth. Specifically, children indicate their self-esteem to us through their ability to socialize, make friends, be a positive influence on peers, cooperate in group activities, and follow reasonable rules. A child with high self-esteem has a realistic fear of new situations, but is able to experiment with new materials and social settings with confidence, demonstrates independence, and is creative, not hesitating to share freely his/her new ideas or creations. In sharing, the child displays a sense of personal pride and feels happy in this ability.

"School-age program staff have a responsibility to foster self-esteem in children in their program. We do this by:
• looking at each child as an individual
• keeping expectations realistic
• giving children the freedom to make mistakes
• building in opportunities for success
• giving encouragement
• accepting children’s unpleasant feelings and teaching them how to deal with them
• giving choices
• giving responsibility, expecting cooperation
• encouraging play and having fun"

Contributed by Exchange The Early Childhood Leaders' Magazine Since 1978

Beginnings on Sale! The complete article "Setting the Stage for Children's Success" can be viewed at the home page of http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/1017. In addition, for this week only, you can purchase of the more than 70 Beginnings Workshops on a wealth of curriculum topics at a 28% discount at http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/1018

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