Page 6 - Demo

What does self-reliance have to do with children%u2019s learning and development?Think back to a time when you made an overnight visit to a family member%u2019s home. Wanting to be the best-possible guest, you awoke dying for coffee and waited for what seemed like FOREVER for anyone to make a move toward the coffee pot. Then you quieted your growling stomach and waited for food, only to discover that their idea of breakfast (protein powder smoothies with kale) and yours (pink-frosted doughnuts with sprinkles) were worlds apart! Suddenly that visit to a family member%u2019s home started to feel a little like prison.Just like adults, young children have a basic need to be in control of simple day-to-day things. When a child%u2019s sense of choice and control is restricted, it%u2019s hard for them to feel comfortable and ready to learn. Bottom line? Children should not have to feel like polite guests in their own classrooms. They should have the freedom to meet their own needs and pursue their own interests.Want research to back it up? Studies show that starting as young as two months, humans remember better, solve tasks better and opt to engage in tasks more often, and for longer periods, when they have a sense of control. Studies also show that humans have higher degrees of emotional well-being and higher levels of performance when we are able to act on our own accord. As people, we are generally more active, happy and social when we can act with self-reliance.What does self-reliance look like in an early childhood classroom? Whew! Does the thought of a classroom full of small children making their own decisions strike you as chaotic? The key to tranquility is teaching children to make their own decisions within the boundaries of the classroom and society. For example, children can have the freedom to move about the room as long as they do not run. The teacher supports children by stopping them if they choose to run and helping them as they practice the art of walking while excited or in a hurry.IDEA16