Strong Image of the Child

The strong image of the child is the idea that children are competent and capable. When believed in by adults, kids come through! Rather than understanding children as pre-citizens, we believe they are community members now with ideas worth sharing and ways of thinking worth mirroring.

Community & Responsibility

Children belong to a lot of different communities, just like adults. Family, school, teams and church are a few examples. Just like there are expectations of us as community members, we should have and uphold expectations of children as community members. They can be expected to tidy after themselves and contribute to group chores (which they’ll most likely LOVE), to respect teachers and classmates while they speak and work together, and show up and care for their friends.

Blank Slate?

When we view children as fragile empty vessels waiting to be filled with our adult wisdom and knowledge, we’re actually the ones who miss out! We’ve been around the sun a time or two, but everything is new to children. They have this inherent wonder and kindness that would do us good to emulate. Try being a curious partner in their learning before you’re an authoritative answerer or corrector.

Respecting and Supporting Their Interests

Children, like us, have their own personalities and interests. If you’re a parent or teacher you know this! It’s easy to discern differences in children from SUCH a young age. If you notice a child gravitating to a certain kind of play, roll with it. There’s something special about being able to recognize a desire and act on it. Create opportunities for them to dig into their existing interests rather than always redirecting or asking them to do something different.