Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Caring for School-Age Children Chapter 2 The Children
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Development of Self
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Middle Childhood Is a Time When Children Develop a Sense of Who They Are They begin to accurately assess their own competence
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. They develop a sense of power based on their status with peers and their ability to control their own behaviors Bullying tests children’s power
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Acceptance by their peers helps children refine their sense of self They evaluate themselves in terms of good and bad behavior Race and ethnicity may play a part in how children perceive themselves and how they are accepted by others
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Implications for Child Care Staff Members Provide authentic feedback to children rather than empty praise Accept children’s feeling rather than deny or belittle their importance
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Provide supportive intervention to children who have been rejected or are having difficulty being accepted by their peers Avoid stereotypes and labels
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Provide positive encounters with people from different racial or ethnic backgrounds Encourage interracial groups to work together on activities that require cooperation and compromise
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Peer Groups “The Society of Children”
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Need to Have Friends Becomes Important Children depend on friends to share activities, carry on conversations, and provide support for attempts at independence from adults
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Children rely upon friends for intimate conversations about problems, dreams, and expectations Intergender friendships become more frequent around fourth or fifth grade
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Children form cliques, clubs, or gangs with the primary purpose of gaining independence from adults Children need to have certain social skills in order to have friends
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. They have the ability to understand that others may have views different from their own They have the ability to recognize that others have separate identities and feelings of their own
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Implications for Child Care Staff Members Nurture children’s ability to examine the basis for friendships Allow children opportunities to spend time with a friend without the pressure of having to engage in an activity
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Encourage children to take another’s point of view Help children recognize their own psychological characteristics and that others accept those qualities
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Help individual children develop a plan to change behaviors that interfere with friendships Discourage attempts to exclude individual children from activities
Copyright 2006 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved. Personal Reflection Review the implications for child care staff members. What areas are you most interested in learning more about?