Supporting Ourselves While Striving to Support Children’s Individual Needs

Educators working hard to support each child as an individual can often feel overwhelmed by new and sometimes conflicting ways of thinking. Here are two resources that offer helpful perspectives:

In his book Oh Boy! Frances Wardle writes, “Traditionally, play was at the heart of the early childhood curriculum. This was no accident. Not only does play match up well with the overall developmental needs of all young children, but it allows young boys to engage in experiences that help them to develop and learn in a natural, developmental manner: whole-child learning, movement, exploration, trial-and-error, hands on, messy…”

And in the Exchange Reflections, “Understanding Gender Diversity in Early Childhood,” Brook Pessin-Whedbee encourages each of us to be gentle with ourselves as we negotiate the challenges of merging accepted practices with new ways of thinking:

“We are all still learning,” she writes. “About ourselves and about others in our communities and beyond. And we are learning to recognize and celebrate the powerful ways that our differences make us stronger together.”

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