What Stimulates: Self-Awareness
Preparation and materials:
- Paper or sheet of your notebook
- Crayons, pencils or ink
- A mirror or face-facing selfie-style camera
Recommended ages:
3 to 5 years
5 to 8 years
|
Why is this activity important? This activity is designed to develop the relationship with ourselves, affirming what makes us special. The parent/caregiver's role is to support the child in identifying what makes them unique and celebrating them as an individual. This encourages a child's self-awareness to see what their strengths are and how they perceive themselves. By establishing a loving and loving relationship with themselves, children are better equipped to build positive relationships with others and to make responsible decisions. |
How can you do that:
FOR AGES 3-5 AND 5-8 YEARS:
1. Find a calm and peaceful environment to sit with your child. Grab the mirror (or the front facing 'selfie' camera) and look at yourself in it. Smile and talk freely about what you can see in the mirror.
2. Now, explain to your child that you are going to draw a picture of what you see in the mirror. Describe their hair, eyes, mouth and face in as much detail as is appropriate for the child's age. Take your time and immerse yourself in each other's portraits. As you draw, you can ask your youngest child:
- - I have a freckle here. Is that you?
- - My eyes are ____! What color are your eyes?
- - What is the same/different in my face from yours?
For older children, you can ask:
- - How do you look the same/different to me?
- - What is special about the appearance of you/I?
- - Do you know anyone else who looks the same/different than you?
When you're done drawing, pick up the mirror again. Now talk about what you can't see in the mirror that you love about yourself or makes you special. For younger children, you can say:
- - I love being able to help my sister/brother/whom.
- - I love myself because I'm taking care of myself.
- - I love that I can run fast.
For older children, you can say:
- - I love being kind and compassionate. I am kind when I share my toys with my siblings.
- - I love that I help. I help when I make my bed, put away my toys and feed our dog!
- - I'm good at taking care of my brothers.
Celebrate what is special about your child together. Share with each other because you are special to each other!
|
Tips on how to do this activity in a group As a group, sit in a circle and take turns looking in the mirror. Talk about what you can see. Now encourage the children to look at the person sitting next to them. Invite them to discuss what is the same or different about their faces. Stand in the circle and draw your self-portraits sitting or lying down. Celebrate what makes each of them special! If you don't have access to a mirror, have the children draw pictures of each other. Encourage them to look closely at their partner's face and talk about what makes them special. |
Activity: Free Drawing and That's Me
Drawing and painting are powerful tools that allow children to express themselves and explore their imagination, but also allow them to improve their physical development. Fine motor skills are essential for the development of the small muscles in the hand, which allow us to complete physical life skills such as buttoning a shirt or screwing on a bottle cap. By improving physical abilities, children are able to exercise greater independence which influences their confidence, self-esteem and sense of belonging.
|
Tip Children like to do certain household activities together with adults: sweeping the floor, making the bed, washing clothes, feeding the animals. She really enjoys learning what they do at work. He often represents this, through make-believe, imitating adults in their activities. When you can participate in activities together with your parents, grandparents and older siblings, by example, you learn to get along well, respect, cooperate and by helping you feel more capable and this contributes to the awareness of belonging first to your home and then to the world. |