Think about ways to encourage children to be independent, to express their preferences and gain a sense of personal identity with these examples of practice from Plum Harrison.

It is important to develop a sense of self in young children because they need to find their niche, their place in the world where they feel significant and valued. With this in mind, we aim to provide children with opportunities to make their own discoveries about their personal identities.

Who am I?

By observing children, and the choices that they make, we build up a picture of individual personalities and preferences. We then extend this through interest-related challenges.

- Children are always addressed by their name. We also name their personal items, mark their pegs with their name and photograph and name and caption all their displays, models and individual work. This attention to detail supports their developing sense of identity and makes them feel that their presence and work are important to us.

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