Honoring Children’s Identities and their Families

“Children  learn and develop best when they are part of a community of learners – a  community in which all participants consider and contribute to one another’s
well being and learning”
~Carol Copple and Sue Bredekamp
(Developmentally Appropriate Practice, NAEYC)

Questions to Ponder:

1. How can displays around the room and on the walls reflect the value of children’s lives?

2. How can the displays and walls reflect upon the process of the children’s learning?

3. How can the children personalize their own space with art, documentation and treasures of their learning that is inspired and created by them?

 

 

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Identity Panels

Identity panels celebrate the uniqueness of each individual child through a self-portrait and a photograph. The placing of all portraits and photos together presents a visual representation of a community of learners. This is a beautiful way to recognize each individual child- honoring their uniqueness and diversity, while also showing the strength of the whole.

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Honoring the Child’s Family

Self-esteem is further developed by focusing on children’s identity through the honoring of their families.

journeyinotearlychildhood.com

Families Contributing to the Environment:

Children perform better academically and socially when their families are involved with their education.

The following pictures demonstrate a couple of ways that teachers have incorporated families hopes and dreams for their child and/or allowed families the opportunity to create a piece to add to the classroom environment.

 

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Classroom Community Projects:

Each child contributes to a project to be displayed in the classroom to promote a community of learners.

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