Helping Children Believe in Themselves

"The place we are in has a strong influence on how we feel, behave, and think about ourselves.  It is very important to be aware of how and what you want children to feel and believe about themselves when they are in your outdoor space," observes Jan White in her article, "Yes You Can! Helping Children Believe in Themselves through the Design of Your Outdoor Space," which serves as the basis for the Out of the Box Training Kit, Designing Outdoor Spaces to Nurture Children's Belief in Themselves.  In the article, which outlines the special characteristics of well-designed outdoor spaces, White argues that these spaces support children believing that they ...

• are good to be with — it's great to be doing things together outdoors.

• can feel good in their bodies — responding to children's drives for doing, moving, and using their whole bodies, and helping them to take ­pleasure in how that makes them feel.

• are capable and competent — offering the right level of intellectual, emotional, and physical provocation and challenge, and using experiences to help children gradually learn how to look after themselves and others.

• are trusted and responsible — setting things up so that children can play independently and support each other, and providing plenty of first-hand experiences and meaningful real tasks.

• are curious and adventurous — offering an environment full of irresistible spaces, materials and experiences.

• are creative and inventive — having an open, flexible approach that encourages young children's great imaginations and values the unexpected.

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