When working within the early year’s foundation stage it is very important to promote the child’s personal, social, emotional and spiritual learning and development, as learning these skills can help the child develop within all other areas of the curriculum. For example when teaching children the importance of being kind to one another, this will help to develop the child’s social skills and build on the child’s self esteem, therefore helping the child develop the confidence to learn and develop in other areas, such and mathematics or literacy. In this essay I will look at the important role which the adult has on the child’s learning and development within this area, and the planned activities which the adult creates. Children learning within this curriculum should be able to experience activities which help to develop the child’s own view of themselves, develop their social skills, the importance to respect each other, and it is the role of the practitioner to ensure they meet these needs,
‘Children must be provided with experiences and support which will help them to develop a positive sense of themselves; respect for others; social skills; and a positive disposition to learn. Providers must ensure support for children’s emotional well-being to help them to know themselves and what they can do.’ (EYFS (2007) P.24)
For my group presentation the theme which was chosen was ‘Eid’. Together we chose four different activities on this topic to help develop a group of children’s understanding of the celebration, and also linked it to the child’s personal, social and emotional development. I believe that as practitioners it is important to provide children with information on many different walks of life, which they may ordinarily not experience without the education system. Providing children with experiences of different cultures, helps the children to build their understanding, and break down any prejudices which they might have.
One of the group activities which we planned is to set up a role play area which would be adapted to reflect a home which is celebrating Eid. This would help teach the children about the celebration, allowing the children to take an active role within the activity. Having a home corner set up would provide the children with all the different aspects which they were previously learning about, which they are then able to explore and develop, by building their own experiences through actively learning about the different culture, whilst also speaking and interacting with others to build their understanding further. This way of learning links to that of Vygotsky’s theory, in which he feels that children learn best when having an active role on their own learning. He also believes that children learn better through their own experiences, and therefore allowing the children to experience a home environment celebrating Eid allows the children to experience this for themselves. From my reading Willan, Parker-Rees and Savage write,
‘For a social constructionist, like Vygotsky, development happens through interaction with other people, verbal and non-verbal, where children have joint responsibility in building or constructing their own reality.’ ( Willan, parker-Rees and Savage (2008), P.28)
Not only does this activity help to develop the child’s understanding of a different culture and religion but it also teaches children about working with others and developing their social skills. Allowing children to build on their learning through role play helps the children to learn in part of a group with other children playing other roles, such as the child, Mother or Father. This way of learning helps children to understand the different ideas and views of other children, and to respect their opinions and feelings, through building positive relationships with each other. From my reading Dowling writes,
‘In order for children to work collaboratively they have to learn the skills of turn taking and sharing.’ (Dowling, (2010) P.43)
However Piaget feel’s that young children are unable to understand other views and feelings apart from their own, and that therefore, a role play activity within a home corner would not be a good activity for very young children, because they would struggle to share together,
‘Piaget tested young children in formal situation and consequently found that most individuals under four were not able to appreciate any other view than their own.’ (Dowling, (2010) P.36)
Another activity which we planned is to allow children to learn and express themselves freely to different traditional Eid music and the dances which the people celebrating the festival would do. This activity would help to develop the children’s understanding of the celebration whilst also developing the child’s emotional, social and personal development too. Allowing children to move freely and express themselves enables them to release any emotions which the children were struggling to express. Therefore the activity helps the child to understand their emotions and feelings, and be able to handle them effectively as they are able to express themselves. From my reading, Robinson appears to agree that play helps children to understand their own emotions and also other people’s emotions around them and helps to express these feelings, she believes,
‘Play also provides another piece of the jigsaw that supports the child’s sense of self through the ongoing, parallel development in their understanding of both an emotional and physical self as the play is accompanied by pleasure of frustration as skills and abilities are tried, tested and, hopefully, mastered.’ (Robinson, (2008) P.151)
This activity also promotes the child’s emotional development as it helps to calm and relax the children as they are able to move and express their feelings, relieving any frustration which they may be feeling. When working with young children it is very important that we as practitioners promote their emotional development, and understand that ensuring children are emotionally stable is crucial for the child’s development within other areas. This view is similar to that of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, in which, without providing the child with emotional support and encouraging their development the child would not be able to reach their full potential and development throughout life,
‘What Maslow’s hierarchy clearly illustrates is the importance of emotions and that without feeling physically and psychologically safe and secure we do not progress.’ (Robinson, 2008, P.103)
This activity not only meets the child’s emotional, social and personal needs such as, encouraging the children to work together with their peers and the adults around them, and therefore building positive relationships, but also the child’s physical development and early years foundation stage by encouraging the children to,
‘Move with control and coordination.’ (EYFS (2008) P.98)
The third activity which was chosen was to read the children a story book about a family, or child, celebrating the Eid festival, and then carrying out a short circle time when the children are able to talk about the story, and any of their own experiences which they would like to share which were similar. This activity would help the children understand about the different tasks which are carried out when celebrating Eid, whilst also developing the children’s overall understanding of the celebration. The activity also helps to develop the children’s personal, social and emotion skills. This is because the children are able to listen to someone else’s view’s and feelings within the story and develop their understanding about other people, as a result becoming more socially, emotionally and personally aware of themselves and of others. From my reading of Robinson it appears that she agrees with this view of the importance of reading as she says,
‘Stories also support the child in taking the point of view of someone else as they listen to the tale which is written from the point of view of someone else – whether a child or chicken! The frequent acting out of well-loved and familiar stories also helps in this growing ability to take a different perspective and leads to understanding another’s thoughts.’ (Robinson, 2008, P.161)
Also having circle time after the story gives all the children to feel that they are being listened to and that their views and opinions are of importance. Drummond agrees with the importance of listening to children as he appears to feel that giving the children the feeling that they are able to speak and be listened to by others, especially adults, gives the child the comfort that their needs and views are being met. It also builds the child’s confidence when talking and interacting with others as they feel they will get listened to. Drummond writes,
‘Whether it involves children, babies or adults, interpersonal communication is a two-way process. Listening to children shows our respect for them and builds their self-esteem.’ (Drummond, (1999) P.59)
The last activity which we planned is to allow the children to create their own Eid cards, which is a tradition families celebrating Eid would do. This allows the children to use their creative skills to decorate their own card. Allowing the children to use their own creativity and imagination can help to calm the children as they are able to express their feelings onto their painting. Also the child’s personal skills are able to develop because the child is able to see and understand another culture and take part in a tradition which occurs when celebrating Eid. This activity for many children will also be a fun task to complete as the children are taking part in a relaxed activity where there is no right or wrong outcome when completing. This therefore encourages the children to want to learn and develop, and therefore developing their personal social and emotional skills. From my reading of May, Ashford and Bottle they appear to agree with the importance of enjoyment within activities which we plan to encourage children to learn, they write,
‘If children consistently find the business of learning new knowledge and skills an exciting one and develop positive dispositions towards new learning they are likely to become ‘masterful’ and competent learners.’ (May, Ashford and Bottle, (2007) P.23)
The activity, meets the early year’s foundation stage as it encourages the children to concentrate during the activity by completing their own card,
‘Maintain attention, concentrate, and sit quietly when appropriate.’ (EYFS (2008) P.28)
For children within a setting to develop their personal, social and emotional skills the role of the practitioner, I feel, plays a vital role. It can be argued that having a teacher within settings who is approachable, happy and positive helps to comfort a child and give them the sense of well-being as well as allowing the child to relax and feel comfortable to learn and develop. From my reading of Dowling she appears to agree that there is great importance on the practitioner, as writes,
‘Warm, supportive relationships underpin all of the work with children but the scaffolding of learning is never underestimated.’ (Dowling, (2010) P.42)
Their are many theories about the importance of the practitioner for example, Piaget believes that practitioners should use their observations on children to plan around the schemas which the child has displayed, therefore planning the activities around the child’s interests and needs. Adopting this method Piaget feels, would allows the children to progress in all areas of development, whilst also building the child’s self- esteem as their own interests are being met. From my reading of Roberts she writes,
‘One of the most valuable aspects of providing for schematic activity is that, in doing so, we are recognising and valuing children’s fundamental interests and needs. This is a powerful way of genuinely raising children’s self-esteem.’ (Roberts, (2006) P.108)
However there are also many theories which disagree with the large importance played on the role of the adult. For example Chomsky, believes that a child will naturally develop to their full potential, and that the practitioners will have little or no affect on this. Therefore he believes that a child will develop no matter on the quality of the childcare they experience, or the early childhood experiences which they may face. He believes in the Laissez-faire view on teaching in which he feels,
‘These views are based on the idea that children will learn naturally and in a set way, whether or not there is influence by adults or the environment.’ (Squire, (2007) P.254)
From my research I also feel that practitioners should have a large role on the planning of the activities which are prepared for the children taking into account each child’s interests, needs and abilities, as it can be argued that without meeting these, a child would struggle to develop. From my reading Eaude agrees with this as he writes,
‘Children’s learning should be paramount in planning a good learning environment.’ (Eaude (2008) P.70)
This also encourages the child’s self-esteem and confidence to develop as they feel their needs are being met. From my reading of May, Ashford and Bottle they appear to agree that it is very important that children are made to feel important and valued, this then helps the children to progress further and take more risks with their learning, they write,
‘Such relationships, where the child feels valued and respected, will enable them to take risks, make mistakes, tackle new problems and overcome minor difficulties within the personal safety net of warm, attentive, caring adults.’ (May, Ashford and Bottle, (2007) P.63)
It is also important for the role of the practitioner to think about the room where the children will learn in and ensuring that there is space in which the children are able to have time alone, such as in dens which have been created. As creating these spaces where children are able to gather their thoughts and keep calm when a situation where the child does not feel comfortable arises. This helps to develop a child’s personal, social and emotional development as it helps children learn ways of feeling calm in difficult situations. As a result the child is able to feel more comfortable in the environment, and because of this, continue to develop to their full potential.
To conclude as a practitioner it is very important to promote the children’s personal, social, spiritual and emotional development, as these skills are necessary for other skills to develop in different areas. The activities which we planned help to develop all areas of this development whilst also developing the child holistically in all other areas of development.
From my research I believe that the role of the adult is crucial for a child to reach their full potential. It can be argued that the adult should consider all the needs and interests of the children within the setting, and plan activities to meet these needs. Also ensuring planning for activities which are both indoor and outdoor to help the children’s personal, social and emotional skills, this also meets the EYFS guidelines which states,
‘Children must have access to an outdoor play area which can benefit the children’ (EYFS (2008) P.7)
Therefore, I feel that ensuring we as practitioners help provide children with a range of activities and have a friendly, welcoming approach towards the children, they will feel comfortable and confident to try new activities, and therefore, develop to their full potential,
‘Young children are affected so strongly by the way in which practitioners behave, not only what they say or do – these are the outward signs; they also tune in to the way in which adults close to them think and feel.’ (Dowling, (2010) P. 215)
Ensuring that we do all these things, I believe that we will then give children the tools to develop their personal, social and emotional skills. In turn developing other areas of their development, helping them build positive relationships, and a positive view of their own self.
Bibliography
Early Years Foundation Stage (2008). Nottingham: Department for Children, schools and Families.
Aldridge., M. (2003) Meeting the Early Learning Goals through Role Play. London: David Fulton Publishers Ltd.
Dowling., M. (2010) Young children’s personal, social and emotional development, 3rd edn. London: SAGE
Eaude., T. (2008) Children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development. 2nd edn. Glasgow: Learning Matters Ltd
May, P., Ashford, E., and Bottle, G. (2007) Sound beginnings. Oxon: Routledge.
Roberts., R. (2006) Self-Esteem and Early Learning. 3rd edn. London: Paul Chapman Publishing
Robinson., M .(2008) Child development from birth to eight. Berkshire: Open University Press.
Squire., G. (2007) Children’s care learning and development. 2nd edn. Oxford: Heinemann.
Willan., J. Parker-Rees., R. Savage., J. (2008) Early Childhood Studies. 2nd edn. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd
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