Exploring all about me activities with children is really important. Children first need to learn about who they are and how they fit into their own families and communities before they can begin to imagine their place in the big wide world.
A child’s identity is the image of who they are and how they fit into the world. Positive identities enable children to feel a sense of both individuality and belonging in the world. They learn that some things about them are the same as other children, but some things are different. Developing a positive identity is essential for young children to grow up with good self-esteem.
From about age two children begin to notice the physical differences between people. They become aware of differences in skin colour, hair texture, differences in the clothes we wear and differences in gender. It is common for two year olds to show fears about people who are different to them, and lacking the language to express their fears, may avoid people (or other children) they see as being different.
Three and four year olds continue to observe differences, but now have the language to ask questions about the differences they see. It is at this age that many children begin to wonder, for example, ‘will I always have this skin colour or will it change as I get older?’
A child’s positive identity can be damaged by social exclusion and discrimination. The job of a childminder is to help children to build positive identities and to challenge discrimination where we see it. In short, helping children to feel good about themselves now, will set the foundations for their confidence and self-esteem later on.
Free ‘What do I look like’ printable
What colour are my eyes? What shape is my hair? What colour is my skin? Use a mirror and skin tone crayons to help children to draw their faces on the free printable template here.
Products that can help you to explore ‘All About Me’
Childminding Best Practice Club – themed packs
Join the Childminding Best Practice Club and get monthly packs of themed activities emailed to you. As well as art projects with templates, each pack includes a planning guide to help you plan around a theme.
Be Safe, Be Healthy Pack
Printable safety and health art projects, activities and colouring pages to help childminders to teach 15 safety and health topics including bereavement, road safety, stranger danger, and sun safety and fire safety. Pack includes a section on understanding our bodies and deals with emotional health as well as physical health.
Diversity Awareness Pack
Printable diversity craft projects and printable diversity colouring pages to help childminders to teach 20 diversity topics including disability, religion, race, families and multicultural holidays. Pack includes a dedicated section to ‘all about me’.
