clips word template - sielearning€¦ · web viewactivity 7. empower children to make their own...

CHCFC504A: Support emotional and psychological development in early childhood

Encourage children’s independence and autonomy

Contents

Theoretical perspectives 3

Trust versus mistrust 3

Autonomy versus shame and doubt 4

Initiative versus guilt 6

Industry versus inferiority 7

Plan and provide opportunities to develop self-help skills and independence 9

Provide opportunities for children to make choices, in appropriate ways 11

Encourage children to accept responsibility for their own actions12

Empower children to make their own decisions and to participate in broader decision-making 13

Involving children in decision making 13

Involve children in increasingly more significant decision-making 16

2 Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCFC504A: Reader LO 9310 © NSW DET 2010

Theoretical perspectives

Note: This first section, ‘Theoretical perspectives’, is the same as this secton in topic 1 of CHCFC503A Support children to build and maintain trusting relationships. It is included in both units as it covers the theoretical aspects in both and demonstrates the close links between social, emotional and psychological development.

In this section we will be looking very closely at the work of a theorist called Erik Erikson. You may have come across some information on him in other learning topics. Here we will be looking very specifically at the first four stages that Erikson describes. Erikson’s work is very closely linked to children developing control of their lives and gradual independence.

Erikson (1902–1994) built upon Sigmund Freud’s work. He identified eight separate stages across the lifespan. He believed that in each stage we face a crisis that needs to be resolved in order for us to develop socially and emotionally. Each stage can be resolved in a positive or a negative way, though in reality the resolution will be somewhere between these two extremes. The outcome of the stage is determined by our environment and the caregiving strategies or experiences to which we are exposed.

The stages that we will be examining are:

• trust versus mistrust: 0–18 months• autonomy versus shame and doubt: 18 months–3 years• initiative versus guilt: 3–5 years• industry versus inferiority: 5–12 years

Trust versus mistrustInfancy correlates with Erikson’s first stage: trust versus mistrust. In this stage the infant is beginning to interact and engage with the people they come into contact with to deal with the first crisis identified by Erikson. This crisis is to determine whether the infant should trust the world and the people in it or mistrust the world and its people.

Trust or mistrust in the world will be determined by the type of care the infant is receiving from the adults. Trust, like attachment, is built through our basic

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCFC504A: Reader LO 9310 3© NSW DET 2010

caregiving strategies. Feeding a hungry baby, cuddling and soothing a fearful baby and allowing the tired child to sleep, helps build trust.

Building trust

Trust Mistrust

Child who explores world Fearful child

Child who seeks caregiver’s attention appropriately

Mistrust adults

Child uses parent as secure base

Open Withdrawn

Trusting Not very curious

Wants to be near people Doesn’t explore freely

Inquisitive

Activity 1

Developing trusting relationships with infants It is vital that we develop trusting relationships with the infants in our care. Without these relationships the infants will not be able to create the emotional base needed for future development.

Activity 2

Autonomy versus shame and doubtIn toddlerhood, the child is now moving to a new stage in their development. Erikson describes a new crisis that must be dealt with. Again, the real usefulness of this theory is in the information it gives us about the appropriate caregiving strategies that we need to employ to help each child reach their full potential.

In this toddler stage, Erikson describes the crisis as being one of autonomy versus shame and doubt. During this stage the toddler will learn that they are an


autonomous, independent person who has control in their world or they will learn that making independent decisions is something to be ashamed of. This is often a challenging stage for many adults. Our first word is often ‘NO’. Being told ‘no’ all the time leads to feelings of shame and doubt. We need to ensure that we give toddlers the opportunity to make limited decisions. We will discuss decision making in more detail later.

Outcomes of autonomyToddlers who are encouraged to be autonomous and who receive appropriate caregiving strategies in this stage will:

• have a positive self-concept• be eager to try new skills• be independent• be motivated to do things for self• have a good relationship with the primary caregiver• demonstrate self-help and self-care skills• be confident• trust in others• want to explore their environment and new environments• gain a sense of belonging• be able to express feelings appropriately• be curious• come to the caregiver for support and reassurance• show emotions in actions• make simple demands• gain mastery over their bodily functions• want to do things alone• be able to accept help and guidance• take pride in their new skills• learn that failure is a learning process• be more self-sufficient• be more sociable• need confirmation and recognition of efforts.

Outcomes of shame or doubtAlternatively the child who is not allowed to explore their environment and who does not receive appropriate caregiving strategies for this stage of development will:

• doubt themselves and their capabilities• often be withdrawn


• feel shame in the eyes of themselves and others• or may be disruptive• demonstrate unrealistic fears• be dependant on others• feel worthless and have a low self-esteem• demonstrate poor social skills• have negative self-concepts• lack motivation or have poor motivation to complete tasks• often require lots of adult assistance• demonstrate a lack of willingness to explore the environment• often be unsociable• demonstrate lots of frustration• be lacking skills in all areas• be unsure and lacking confidence• often lack mastery over bodily functions.

Activity 3

Initiative versus guilt

Erikson and the preschoolerNow that the child is a preschooler, a new crisis is emerging. Erikson now tells us that the child is moving into the initiative-versus-guilt stage. In this stage the child will either gain a sense of initiative by being able to make decisions, plan activities and events and see them carried through, or a feeling of guilt as they are continually told ‘no’ or have their ideas squashed. Caregivers need to ensure they are allowing the children in their care the opportunities to make plans and see them carried through to fruition.

Erikson stresses that a person’s personality emerges from the child’s interactions and experiences with significant people. Much of this interaction occurs around all the different skills that are developing during the preschool years.

During the preschool stage we find that children are ready and eager to learn and achieve goals. They learn to plan and to carry out these plans. They are also developing a sense of right and wrong. They see themselves as being able to do more things but realise there are limits – if they go beyond these limits, they will feel guilty. By four years the preschooler should be able to formulate a plan of action and carry it out. The positive outcome is a sense of initiative – the sense that one’s desires and actions are good and OK.

As caregivers we need to ensure that we are helping preschoolers to focus their energies on what is allowed and directing them towards acceptable activities so


that guilt is kept to a minimum. We can ensure that we are encouraging initiative by asking the children to suggest activities which could be included within the program. When they make suggestions we then need to ensure that we treat children’s ideas and suggestions seriously. It is important that we do not dismiss them with ridicule or laugh at them. If children’s ideas are unacceptable then discuss with the children alternatives which are socially acceptable. Following these simple strategies will ensure that children navigate through this stage leading to a positive outcome.

The outcomes of children gaining a good sense of initiative are to:

• use their initiative constructively• enjoy their increasing power• become better able to cooperate• be better able to accept guidance• use their initiative within the limits of acceptable behaviour• experience a minimum of guilt.

The negative outcome of this stage is ‘guilt and shame’. Guilt and shame will occur if children are continually punished for initiating and carrying out plans. They will also experience this if their ideas are rejected out of hand or laughed at, ridiculed or ignored. These feelings of guilt lead to feelings of shame and fear and a lack of assertiveness in their behaviour. One of the dangers of this stage is that, if children are punished for initiative, they will turn their energies into being obedient and conforming in order to avoid feeling guilty.

Activity 4

Industry versus inferiority

Erikson and the school-aged childSchool-aged children between six and 12 years of age are beginning to settle down to the serious business of learning to read and write as well as the many other skills that are being developed at this stage. They are often in a routine involving school and their peers. Erikson’s fourth stage, industry versus inferiority, is usually being demonstrated at this time.

Erikson saw this stage as the time when children will begin to be industrious and work towards their future careers and lives. They will learn the skills associated with their society. Children who are reared in a positive, appropriate way will navigate through this stage with positive outcomes. They will feel good about themselves and their abilities. Children who are receiving negative messages from


the people around them will feel inferior to those around them and thus will come through this stage with negative thoughts.

Encourage school-aged children to feel good about themselves

Activity 5


Plan and provide opportunities to develop self-help skills and independence

Self-help skills are usually considered to be those skills involved in caring for ourselves that we gradually learn. Typically we include:

• dressing and undressing• toileting• feeding• caring for our belongings• cleaning, tidying up after ourselves.

We see the beginnings of self-help skills in infancy when the child begins to make their first attempts at feeding themself. However, it is usually in the toddler years that the child begins to realise that they can make things happen. They can now control their environment in ways they couldn’t when they were an infant. With this realisation comes the awareness that they can do things for themselves. This of course can provide endless frustration for both the toddler and the carer.

What do you do if you have a toddler who insists they can put their shoes and socks on and with perseverance will do so, but it will take much longer than you have allowed for? This is one of the many situations you will encounter with toddlers. What about the toddler who wants to undress themselves to go to the toilet, but because it takes so long with overalls on, actually ends up wetting their pants?

Self-help skills are improving throughout the toddler and preschool years. Some of the developments we can expect to see are detailed in the table below.

Toileting Around two years of age, children’s bowel and bladder control begins to happen. There is of course variance to this.

By three most children are toilet trained during the day but many are not at night.

Feeding Competent using a spoon. Able to get most of the food into the right place.

Making much less mess than infants.

Can drink from a cup quite successfully.

Dressing and undressing

Can take off loose-fitting clothes.

Begin to put on some clothes though still has trouble with many.


The important thing to remember with toddlers and their emerging self-help skills is that how caregivers approach this stage will impact on the toddler's willingness and competence in completing self-help tasks.

Toilet trainingFrom around two years of age, children begin to gain bladder and bowel control. This is an important milestone in the life of the child. Parents usually look forward to this time as well. This is a time where autonomy or shame and doubt can be fostered. The caregivers’ role and reactions here are going to be vital. Caregivers need to be closely working with the child’s parents to ensure that they are following the same strategies and not providing conflicting messages.


Provide opportunities for children to make choices, in appropriate ways

As children progress from toddlerhood through the pre-school years they seek more independence. We can promote their independence further by offering choice in many areas of their day to day life.

There are many opportunities while children are in our care that we can allow them to make choices. By encouraging children to make choices we are promoting independence and developing their self esteem.

Some of the areas we may offer choice are:

• Provide a choice of experiences by offering a range of experiences catering for children’s interests, skills and abilities and emerging skills.

• Provide open ended resources to enable children to decide what to use and how to use it. Stimuli such as pictures, books and objects can provide ideas for the children.

• Mealtimes may provide children with a limited opportunity of choice which may include: choice of meat, choice of vegetables or a choice between different dishes where appropriate.

• Children may also be given the opportunity to serve themselves.• Pack away time we may give children a choice of areas to pack away—

eg ‘Would you like to pack away the blocks or home corner?’

Remember that when providing opportunities for choice, do not provide too many options as this can cause confusion and frustration.

Activity 6


Encourage children to accept responsibility for their own actions

This can be a delicate area as we need to ensure children understand and learn what is right and what is wrong. When encouraging children to be responsible for their actions we need to do so in a way that will not disempower them or lower their self esteem. Our encouragement must be conducted in a positive manner.

We can provide books and stories that show consequences of actions and discuss this with the children, along with allowing them to make decisions that will impact later. We must show a clear link of their decision and later consequences.

With older children we may create a set of room/group rules where the children assist in developing the rules and the consequences. This can be displayed in the room for everyone to see and reflect on.

Activity 7


Empower children to make their own decisions and to participate in broader decision-making

Involving children in decision makingAs children progress through the four stages associated with childhood, they are increasingly becoming more competent in all developmental domains. This increased competence of course leads to children needing opportunities to test their new-found skills in safe environments. When an infant is just learning to take a few steps, we try to ensure that they are in a place that will not overly hurt them if they fall over, for instance. The same must apply to the decisions that children are allowed to make. As they get older we need to ensure that they can make appropriate decisions for themselves.

It is vital that children are allowed to make their own decisions as, once they are no longer at home or at school, they need to be able to think for themselves. Mum or Dad won’t be there to help them decide what to wear or whether to go out all night knowing they have a test the next day.

This means that we have to step them through the decision-making process. We encourage them to make different types of decisions at different stages. However, as adults we need to remember we will still have to make some decisions for them. Should a toddler or preschooler be allowed to determine their own bedtime? Should a school-aged child decide whether or not they are going to school each day?

One of toddlers’ favourite words


Caregivers and toddlers can often have a struggle with each other as the toddler begins to become more autonomous and increasingly wanting to make their own decisions. One of the most common words in this stage is, of course, ‘No’. Both the toddler and the adult seem to say ‘no’ with increasing frequency. This can lead to a battleground for both parties. Toddlers will often want to do things for themselves and try out their new skills. They have little idea that caregivers need to complete certain tasks within allocated timeframes.

These conflicts can be very tiring for both the child and the adult. It is important at this stage to recognise when it is appropriate to allow toddlers to make decisions and what decisions they are capable of making. An over-tired toddler shouldn’t be given the decision as to whether they want to go to bed or not. However, they may be able to make the decision as to what pyjamas to wear or what teddy to take to bed.

The provision of opportunities to practice self-help skills gives caregivers excellent opportunities to help children make appropriate choices and decisions.

Activity 8

Toddlers and preschoolersAs said earlier, toddlers can experience great frustration. A caregiver needs to ensure that the opportunities that they provide allow for challenge and some success while minimising frustration.

Preschoolers quickly become more adept at making decisions, though still need guidance as to what decisions they should make. From an early age children can be encouraged to participate in decisions about:

• what foods to eat• whether to participate in some games• choices of appropriate clothing• games or activities to be offered• destinations for outings• playmates.

Parents and caregivers have the responsibility to ensure that children are given appropriate opportunities to make decisions and choices and the consequences of these. The children need people to clearly explain the consequences of the decisions that they are going to make. 'If you have that piece of cake now, you won’t be able to have it later when everyone else is having their dessert.' When children are in situations where their safety or health may be at risk, it is the responsibility of caregivers to make appropriate decisions for them.


The decision-making processAs children are getting older and approaching the school years, we need to give them many more opportunities to make important decisions for themselves. We can help children work through the decision-making process by using the following problem-solving model.

Identify the problemClearly identify the problem or decision to be made. You may need to do some strategic questioning here to identify what the problem or issue actually is.

Gather dataGather all facts and issues. What do we need to consider when thinking about this problem? What are the issues involved? Who will be affected by the decision?

Generate solutionsBrainstorm all the solutions. Encourage children to be creative here. Sometimes the craziest ideas can be the best! Discuss each of them. Decide which one is most appropriate.

Develop an action planPlan the steps for carrying out the proposed solution to the problem. Prioritise the steps. Prepare a time line if needed. Ensure everyone is aware of their responsibilities.

Implement the planCarry out the solution.

EvaluateEvaluate consequences. Discuss these with the children. Was it a good idea to do it this way? What would have happened if you did it another way?


Involve children in increasingly more significant decision-making

Allow children to have input into the program and to assist in setting up the play areas by deciding where to place equipment and resources. This of course will need to be done in collaboration with the carer to maintain safety.

Allowing the children to decide what equipment/resources are used and how they are used.

Older children may be given an opportunity to discuss the menu and make suggestions for snacks and meals, enabling them to state their likes and dislikes for certain foods. (Although this could be quite extensive the children will be quite excited to see their food choices included and will be more inclined to eat)

We must ensure we follow up on children’s ideas and plans even if they appear extreme. There may be some way we can alter extreme suggestions to suit the child care environment taking into consideration safety, supervision and resources.


clips word template - sielearning€¦ · web viewactivity 7. empower children to make their own...

Documents