Before a child attends Preschool, the importance of Esteem, Friendship, Love and Security cannot be stressed highly enough. It is from these four basic needs that a child’s learning environment develops.
The following Pyramid applies to the social development of a child. We can see that before reaching the higher order of learning the basic needs must be in place.
- Children are more likely to do well in school when they have a positive sense of personal well-being, developed through consistent caring relationships in their early years. Children also do better in school settings when they have the social skills and behaviours that enable them to develop meaningful relationships with adults and peers.
- Children are active learners. Children learn through experiences with people, objects and things in their world. Experiences through play, knowledge, curiosity and sense of wonder are foundations for children’s learning.
- The early childhood environment should provide opportunities for children to explore materials and engage in concrete activities and to interact with peers and adults to construct their own understanding about the world around them
- Our young children’s social and emotional development is the foundation for their cognitive development.
- Children learn best in an environment where their psychological needs are being met because they feel safe, valued as unique individuals, while they are actively engaged in acquiring new skills and knowledge.
- Early learning is enhanced by curiosity, creativity, independence, cooperativeness, and persistence.
- Children are dependent upon their interactions with peers and adults to construct a sense of self and to view themselves as learners.
- Early childhood educators are aware of the importance of children developing a strong and positive self-concept as well as appropriate self-control and growth in their awareness of their responsibilities when interacting with others.
