Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/how-young-children-build-images-of-themselves/5010444/
Self-image, the view each of us has of ourselves, is complex, multidimensional, and ever changing. It affects everything we do, and is affected by everything we do. The creation of self-image begins at birth and continues throughout a person's life. It is neither all positive nor all negative.What is of deep interest to early childhood educators is our wish to assist in the development of a strong, independent, secure self-image in each of our children. This need of ours has resulted in some very negative ideas and practices - to name a few, showering praise and rewards on children at every turn; believing a single program, book, poster, phrase, pamphlet, or activity can inoculate a child with a positive self-image; engaging in activities with our children that form an excessive preoccupation with oneself; and believing that a minority child's self-image is totally tied to his sense of belonging to a minority group.
Self-image is based on a simple, interactive, conceptual model: the individual, the individual's interaction with the environment, the response of that environment to the individual, and the individual's interpretation of that response. But the application of this model poses some complex questions:
_ Why do ...