Identity and Autonomy Activities for Early Childhood Education

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The construction of identity takes place through the child's interactions with their social environment. The school is a different social universe from the family, favoring new interactions, thus expanding their knowledge about themselves and others.

Also check: Who am I project

These activities identity education has the objective of favoring new interactions and expanding the child's knowledge about himself and others, aiming to answer the following questions:

• How important is my name?
• Who is part of my family?
• Who are the people who live with me at school?
• Why is it important to have friends?

Identity:

According to the National Curriculum for Early Childhood Education, identity refers to the idea of ​​distinction. The document says: “it is a mark of difference between people, starting with their name, followed by all physical characteristics, ways of acting, thinking and personal history”.

Building an identity involves knowing your own tastes and preferences and mastering skills and limits, always taking into account the culture, society, environment and people you live with. This self-knowledge begins at the beginning of life and continues until its end, but it is essential that some knowledge is acquired while still in day care.

Card for Working Identity in Early Childhood Education:

Check out more at: 10 Activities for Working Identity

Identity Activities – To Print

The following activities were prepared by the wonderful website Teaching-Aprender:

A little about myself…

I am special:

Paint, cut and assemble: Girl.

Paint, cut and assemble: Boy.

Quiz about me:

My name is

My name is

a little of my family

I also recommend: Identity in Early Childhood Education Project

Identity Activities – Working with Nursery Children:

EVERYONE IN THE WINDOW

AGE: From 9 months to 2 years.
TIME: 30 minutes.
SPACE: Activities room.
MATERIAL: Cardboard, felt-tip pen, glue and a photo of each child.
OBJECTIVE: Favor recognition of one's own image and that of colleagues.

PREPARATION: On cardboard, draw a train with the number of carriages corresponding to the number of children. Hang the poster on the living room wall before they arrive. On play day, ask parents to send a photo of their son or daughter. Ask the little ones to sit in a circle and place the photo in the middle of the circle. Cuddle the babies in the group and talk to everyone. Comment one photo at a time. Show the image and say: “Look at Aninha!”, “Where were you?”, “On the beach, wasn't it?”, “Was your bikini blue?”, "Who has been to the beach?" Call children by name, as it is very common in Kindergarten to use nicknames. After the comments, paste the photos on the wagons and let them enjoy. Include a photo of yourself too. The little train stays in the class until the holidays. You will find that, whenever possible, children will call people who approach the room to view the photos.

ARE WE GOING TO THE PROM?

AGE: From 2 years.
TIME: 40 minutes.
SPACE: Large room.
MATERIAL: Full body mirror, stereo, fabrics, costumes and makeup (dermatologically tested, hypo-allergenic and alcohol-free).
OBJECTIVE: Favor the construction of identity with the use of the mirror.

HOW TO PLAY: Each child lies down on a sheet of paper so you can draw their silhouette. Cut out the outline, write the child's name and give it to her to complete the drawing with eyes, hands, knees, etc. At this point, encourage the child to observe their own body. Don't expect anything figurative. When everyone has completed their work, glue the silhouettes side by side on the wall and encourage observation: “Look! Iara is taller than Pedro”. Talk a lot about the particulars of each one. This dialogue contributes to the construction of self-image and self-esteem, as the child internalizes the affection you and colleagues have for him, expressed in the conversation.

WHERE'S MY PICTURE?

AGE: From 1 year and a half.
TIME: One hour.
SPACE: All school spaces and the sand pit.
MATERIAL: Children's photos, glue and adhesive plastic.
OBJECTIVE: Recognize your own image and that of your colleagues.

PREPARATION: Cover the photos with the adhesive plastic so they don't spoil. They must be the ones that were on the little train, described in the activity Everyone in the Little Window. Hide them in the sand pit. When the children enter the room, comment: “Where are the photos on the panel? Gone! Someone saw? No? Let's search? They must be somewhere in the school…” Indicate some spaces for them to look for the images, leaving the sand pit last. If the photo found is not of the child himself, ask him to give it to the owner. When everyone has their own photos, they can go back to the living room and paste them back onto the dashboard.

SURPRISE BOX

AGE: From 2 years.
TIME: 30 minutes.
SPACE: Activity room or patio.
MATERIAL: Shoeboxes and small mirrors protected by a sturdy frame. If there are no mirrors at school, ask the parents to provide them.
OBJECTIVE: Play with your own image.

PREPARATION: Ask parents to send a decorated shoe box from home. Before the activity begins, glue the mirror to the bottom of each box. Gather the children in a circle and give each one their box. First, ask them to just hold. Comment on the differences between them. Talk about the colors, the designs, if they have any shine… And let them know: “Whenever you open the box, you will find a surprise”. The first “surprise” will be for the child to see himself inside the box, reflected in the mirror. Keep the mirror in the box and, from the second time on, each one should have something different, such as makeup, hairbrush, sachets or other objects that are part of the nursery's collection.

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Hi my name is:

Class Activity:

Identity and Autonomy in Early Childhood Education:

Ari, wrote on paper, your age and your name, shall we do like him?

My eyes are… My hair is… and my favorite color is?

Check out others at:Activities to work Identity – Who am I?

Identity Activities - Our Class

MATERIAL:

• Photos of the children taken in the first days of school; pieces of felt in different colors for the frames.

OBJECTIVE:

• Recognize your own image; encourage socialization.

DEVELOPMENT:

• I distribute the photos of the children on a mat on the floor, previously framed, and ask each one to take their photo. When each child has their photo, we will put it on the “OUR CLASS” panel. Each one will give me the photo and we will speak the name of each child.

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Identity Activities - Identity Box

MATERIALS:

• Shoeboxes lined with felt and decorated and closed with Velcro, a piece of mirror and children's objects.

GOALS:

• Develop self-knowledge; promote imagination; play with the image itself.

DEVELOPMENT:

• Ask parents to send one child's shoe box (empty) and five children's personal items: a photo of the child with the family; a copy of the birth certificate (reduced); a copy of the vaccination card (only the vaccination part); a toy that fits in the box and a cloth used by the child. The important thing is that the child recognizes his objects. Gather the children in a circle and give each one their box, just with the mirror glued inside. First, ask them to just hold it. Let's comment on the differences between them. Tell them that inside the box is something very special. Upon opening them they will find their images reflected in the mirrors. From that moment on, they will place their objects inside their respective boxes.

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Identity Activities – Where is my photo?

MATERIALS:

• Photos of the children used in the “NOSSA TURMA” panel.

GOALS:

• Recognize your own image and that of your colleagues.

DEVELOPMENT:

• Remove all photos from the panel and hide in the playground, beforehand. When the children enter the room, comment: “Where are the photos on the panel? Gone! Someone saw? No? Let's search?". Take the kids to the playground and start looking.

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Identity Activities – The Story of My Name

MATERIAL:

• A4 sheet with some questions for parents; decorated box to put children's names; alphabet mat; cards with the children's names; colored pencils; xerographed activity with each child's name to color.

GOALS:

• Promote socialization; explore the importance of names; favor identity; explore the initial letter of each name.

DEVELOPMENT:

• Send the parents, in advance, questions regarding the choice of the child's name and its meaning. With the answers in hand, socialize with the children the meaning of each name in a conversation circle. Take the alphabet mat and give each child a card with their name with the initial letter highlighted.
• From the form, the child will identify their initial letter on the mat and, finally, on a xerographed sheet, they will paint the initial letters of their names.