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Monday, November 27, 2017

Self Development

When discussing child and youth development, there are five basic domains. You can get a glimpse of each here: “The 5 Domains of Child and Youth Development” and then click on any of the individual domains for more detail.
Self – who we are

“Understanding who you are [and] how you identify yourself in terms of culture, environment, physical attributes, preferences, skills, and experiences.” – from Caring for Children in School-Age Programs II

There are seven areas integral to how youth shape their identities:

Autonomy. Youth need control over their lives and need to know that their actions genuinely impact their lives and those around them.

Structure. Youth want consistency, knowing that they can depend on certain routines, expectations, events, and people to regularly be part of their lives.

Positivity. Youth need to see the world as interesting and enjoyable and see themselves as having a positive place in it. It is also important that youth feel like they will succeed in the future.

Esteem. Youth need to like and believe in themselves. They need to be recognized as good people with good ideas and qualities.

Community. Youth need to belong and be valued by their families, peers, cultural groups, and other entities within their social realms.

Talent. Youth need to be acknowledged for their special abilities and skills, those areas of their personalities which make them unique individuals.

Significance. Youth need to feel like they are needed and that their contributions are valued. This may tie into their spirituality, principles, values, and beliefs in higher deities.

Above content adapted from the Search Institute and the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning’s Promoting the Social-Emotional Competence of Young Children: Facilitator’s Guide (2003). 

Activities to Promote Self Development:

Click on the name of the activity to go to the website for more detail. Bold letters in parentheses indicate the age group (I = Infant, T = Toddler, P = Preschooler, S = School-ager, A = Adolescent) for which the activity is targeted. Of course, with modifications the activity can be appropriate for other age groups as well.

  1. Acorn Perspective
  2. All About Me Collage
  3. Animal Care
  4. Art Exhibition
  5. Being Thankful Activities
  6. Computers (S,A)
  7. Conflict Resolution (S,A)
  8. Create (P,S)
  9. Diversity Appreciation
  10. Dressing Self (I,T,P)
  11. Empathy Cards
  12. Exercise (P,S) and (S,A)
  13. Feeding Self (I,T,P)
  14. Feel Good Notebook
  15. Gardening (P,S)
  16. Gratitude Gifts
  17. Grooming Self (I,T,P)
  18. Hobbies (S,A)
  19. Hygiene (I,T,P)
  20. Inspirational Cards
  21. Inspirational Quotes
  22. Interactive Play (P,S)
  23. Jobs/Chores (I,T,P) and (P,S)
  24. Kindness Corner
  25. Kindness Wreath
  26. Kind Vs. Unkind: Drawing Pictures
  27. Meditation
  28. Me Tree
  29. Money Management (S,A)
  30. Multiple Intelligences (S,A)
  31. Music (S,A)
  32. Nature Appreciation
  33. Painting (P,S)
  34. Placemats Highlighting Table Manners
  35. Positive Message Game
  36. Positive Notes Game
  37. Positive Writing Topics
  38. Praise Magnets (S,A)
  39. Puzzles (P,S)
  40. Random Acts of Kindness
  41. Reading (P,S)
  42. Recycling
  43. Responsibility Pledge
  44. Robots (S,A)
  45. Role-Playing Games (P,S)
  46. Socializing (P,S)
  47. Social Media Etiquette (S,A)
  48. Storytelling (P,S)
  49. Strengths and Weaknesses Chart (S,A)
  50. Thank You Cards
  51. Time Capsule (S,A)
  52. Toileting (I,T,P)
  53. Working Together Games
  54. Writing (P,S)
Activity Resources:
Toolbox Training Resources:
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