Self-Concept is something we all have, but most of us have probably never thought about! It is defined as one’s own “beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and ideas” about oneself.¹ Your child will develop these concepts about himself over his lifetime. The strong attachment, trust, and relationship you build with him, starting at infancy, will greatly influence the way he views himself in the world.² For children that are 18-24 months old, Self-Concept is demonstrated in a variety of ways. A child at this stage of development is starting to notice and understand differences between himself and others,³ express emotions clearly to communicate how he feels, and show an awareness of his individuality.

One of the telling signs that your child is developing self-awareness is his growing ability to associate with images and likenesses of himself.⁴ If you ask your 18- to 24-month-old “Where is Jesse?” when looking at a family photo, he should be able to point to himself and even say his name. Similarly, when engaged in mirror play, research shows that self-recognition reaches 65 percent for children between 20-24 months.⁵ As a result, he will be able to look at his image in the mirror and correctly point out his nose or arm when you ask him to identify a specific body part on his body.^5,6

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Developmental psychologist Erik Erikson developed the theory that young children from the ages of 18 months to 3 years old go through an Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt phase. During this phase, young children are learning to act more independently by starting to care for themselves as well as demonstrating strong preferences and opinions.⁷ This is the reason why many parents report that their toddler’s favorite words are “No,” “Me,” and “Mine.”² It may be difficult and frustrating to deal with your child’s strong will during this phase! Try to remain calm, supportive, and patient because your support will go a long way in helping him develop a sense of autonomy, confidence, and competency. On the other hand, if you and other caregivers discourage or criticize his attempts at independence and self-help, he may actually develop shame and doubt about himself as he grows up.⁸

With a growing sense of curiosity and self-determination, your child will spend more time trying to figure out how things work, identify what new objects are, and explore interesting activities and places on his own. You will find your child taking more risks now, like climbing higher onto furniture and playground equipment, as he tries to do new things on his own without your help.

However, you may also find him getting easily frustrated when he can’t finish one of the new activities he’s trying. In these situations, don’t jump in to help out too quickly. Instead, encourage him to build his persistence and resiliency, which will further develop his Self-Concept and allow him to thrive in challenging situations.⁹ Your child can develop persistence and resiliency by becoming confident in his problem solving skills, regulating his emotions, and being interested in what he’s doing.¹⁰

If he truly gets stuck, but you see a way to help him, check in and ask him if he’d like you to give him a hand. Remember, he will know whether he’s ready for some help or wants to continue the adventure on his own. And if you do provide help, ask your child thoughtful questions that will enable him to solve the problem on his own, rather than completing the task for him. Being able to test out his ideas together will make him feel resourceful.^10,11

So, be prepared to support your child’s growing autonomy by offering him choices and letting him make his own decisions. It is important to let him make decisions by giving him realistic and safe options to choose from. The more your toddler can weigh in on his daily life, the greater his self-concept and self-esteem will become as he learns how to control his future and environment.

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Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your child’s development of Self-Concept skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

1. Encourage your child to do things independently.³ Let your child try new challenges and take modest risks. In your home, create safe cabinets, boxes, and other areas for him to explore new objects and activities. Be firm on boundaries, making sure he understands which areas and activities are off limits. Be available to offer support when necessary.
2. Offer clear and acceptable choices for your child so he can practice making decisions.³ To support your toddler’s independence, offer him the ability to make real decisions. He will feel empowered by having a “say” on his life and will develop the confidence to explore more things on his own. Try to get into the habit of saying “yes” more often than “no,” when possible. If your child becomes used to always hearing “no,” he may eventually stop trying new things because he assumes your answer will be “no.”
3. Expose your child to different people and cultures. Help your child understand that people all over the world have similarities and differences. Try taking him out to the grocery store, park, or coffee shop and play a game of “Compare and Contrast People,” pointing out different hair styles, clothing, facial features, height, and sizes. You can also play this game while reading cultural picture books. If you can’t find one you like at your local library, make your own! Take pictures from magazines or the internet, and put them into a scrapbook, organized by continent. Another way to introduce your child to different world cultures is by attending cultural events, such as a Chinese New Years celebration, a St. Patrick’s Day Parade, or local heritage festivals.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Self-Concept developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Aware of himself as an individual (e.g. identifies himself in pictures, says his name).

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Sources:

¹Meece, J. L. (1997). Child and Adolescent Development for Educators. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies.

²HighReach Learning (2007). Helping Infants and Toddlers Begin to Develop a Healthy Self-Concept. HighReach Learning. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.highreach.com/highreach_cms/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=fNmErrKCzt8%3D&tabid=105.

³Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

⁴Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Georgia Early Learning Standards: Birth through Age 5.

⁵Amerterdam, Beulah (1972). Mirror self-image reactions before age two. Developmental Psychology, 5(4), 297-305.

⁶Texas Early Learning Council. Little Texans, Big Futures: Your Early Learning Guide for Infants, Toddlers, and Three-Year-Olds.

⁷Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and Society (2nd ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton.

⁸Lagoni, L. S.; Martin, D. H.; Maslin-Cole, C.; Cook, A.; MacIsaac, K.; Parrill, G.; Bigner, J.; Coker, E.; and Sheie, S. (1989). Good Times with Child Care. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University Cooperative Extension.

⁹Healthy Children (2013). Building Resilience in Children. American Academy of Pediatrics: Healthy Children. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/emotional-wellness/pages/Building-Resilience-in-Children.aspx.

¹⁰Gellens, Suzanne R. (2013). Building Brains. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

¹¹Zero to Three. Persistence. Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_social_persistent&AddInterest=1157.

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Playful Bee

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Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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