Discovery Time Week One: A Journey of Self Discovery

The first week of each term at Discovery Time is spent in self-reflection and getting to know this new group of children. An important part of the Reggio Emilia approach is in fostering strong connections to self and to the community or group. Children are strong, rich, and competent from birth. They are born communicators. The sense of self naturally develops, but given the right tools and environment, the sense of self can flourish.

At Discovery Time, we provide lots of tools, materials, inspiration, and a rich environment for every child to explore with wonder and awe. We foster the journey as children move through different stages and phases of knowing and unknowing themselves. This first week we offer lots of mirrors, books like the ones listed here, simple chunky black markers, lots of natural loose parts, and inspiring pictures like famous portraits by Picasso, Van Gogh or Frida Khalo.

From a very young age, babies and children can make intentional marks and are scientists, testing out skills and solving problems. By 3, most children can categorise their physical attributes (I have brown hair and I am shorter than Mummy) and can identify things they are capable of (I can climb trees!) Young children's descriptions of self tend to be factual rather than judgmental.

When first provided with a mark-making tool, young children might do lots of scribbles! Scribbles are so important for building fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, self-confidence and most importantly, enjoyment and pleasure. As children get older, their scribbles get easier to control and begin to turn into drawings and writing. Scribbling is one of children's hundred hundred languages that are so, so precious when you know what you're looking at!

Adults in the space are asked to prompt their child by pointing out in the mirror their child's unique physical features. How their face moves, how they express themselves, noticing the shape of their face and all of their physical features including things the child may not notice like eyelashes, the shape of their eyebrows, the shape of their cheeks, the openings in their ear. It's so special sharing this with a toddler as it's possible they are noticing these things for the first time! Adults can ask "how does it feel to be you?"

At Discovery Time, we never pressure or coerce children into work. This is a child's domain and a space for them to feel safe to express themselves. Your child will begin working when they feel ready to. It is ok if they are not interested in drawing or making self-portraits today.

Adults can spend the time in reflection and documenting observations - even if this is simple mark-making, scribbles, or basic outlines of figures.

Loris Malaguzzi tells us that reading children’s drawings is something very serious, very committed, very difficult, very responsible.  He says that the risk we run is of classifying too quickly and putting things in order too soon, without thinking sufficiently, without waiting sufficiently long, of not knowing how to wait, and not knowing how to interpret children’s acts. And so, we must embark on the trickiest part of our child's educational journey - learning to wait and to look and look and look.

In Reggio, the adults are willing to learn alongside the children. They work together in partnership rather than the adult being 'in charge' and having all the answers. The adults watch and listen carefully to what the children do and say. They use their observations to guide and extend the child's learning. Drawing is just one of the hundred languages of children. Children use their own lived experiences to express themselves through their drawings.

When you look at your child's self-portrait, you will see your child as they see themselves. It's always interesting to watch a child's body language as they work. Sometimes it is as if we are viewing a theatrical performance! Over time, drawing self-portraits can also help children tap into their emotions. We can examine why we look different or have different expressions on different days or in different photographs.

I think it's a lovely idea to keep these self-portraits and form a collection to look back on. I use FotoFuze to remove the background of a photo of my child's work, and then create a photo book on photobook.com or mixbook.com with a description of what they created or said about their work.

This self discovery and getting to know you session helps to underpin the rest of the term. Some groups love stories; some do not care for them so much. Some enjoy being outdoors; some are happy to sit inside and paint contentedly for the whole time. I love getting to know each child and the dynamics of each new group every term!