Developing Children's Sense of Agency and Self-Identity

This document discusses the importance of developing children's sense of agency and self-identity. It explores the knowledge of sense of control, self-identity, social responsibility, and being, belongingness in children. The document also outlines various strategies and skills that early childhood teachers can use to promote sense of agency and self-identity in children. It emphasizes the role of sense of control, self-identity, social responsibility, and belongingness in children's development. The document provides insights into teaching strategies like open questioning, engaging in shared thinking, problem solving, and play-based learning. It also highlights the skills required for childhood teachers to promote sense of control and self-identity in children.

DEVELOPING
CHILDREN'S SENSE OF
AGENCY AND SELF-
IDENTITY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
PART 1 ...........................................................................................................................................3
Knowledge of sense of control, self-identity, social responsibility and being, belonging.....3
Role of developing the sense of agency, self-identity, social responsibility and...................5
being, belongingness in children's..........................................................................................5
PART 2............................................................................................................................................6
Various strategies and skills of teaching early childhood teachers require to promote sense of
agency and self-identity in children’s in early childhood settings.........................................6
The relation between contemporary theory, and outcomes, practices and outcomes of the
Early Years Learning Framework with teaching strategies and skills...................................9
PART 3..........................................................................................................................................11
EXPERIENCE PLAN 1.......................................................................................................12
EXPERIENCE PLAN 2.......................................................................................................15
EXPERIENCE PLAN 3.......................................................................................................18
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................21
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................23

INTRODUCTION
Sense of agency refers to the awareness of starting or implementation of the actions of
the person in the world. The sense of agency helps the people to make decisions in different
situations. When children develop a sense of agency it means the development of thinking
capacity in the children (McAdams, 2016). Self identity refers to the skills and capabilities of a
person to describe themselves. Social responsibility and being refers to the actions of person for
the benefit of the whole community. The Report will outline the meaning of sense of control,
social responsibility, sense of affection or belonging etc. in children, the value of development
of sense of control or agency, belonging, the identity of self that differentiates from others etc. in
children. The Report will also describe strategies of childhood teacher in promoting sense of
agency, self identity in children. The Report will also explain teaching skills through different
theories like contemporary theory and frameworks like Early Years Learning Framework .
MAIN BODY
PART 1
Knowledge of sense of control, self-identity, social responsibility and being, belonging.
Development of child takes place in various forms such as psychological, emotional
changes, development of sense of agency, development of sense of identity in the children from
the birth of child till they become adolescent like age of five. The development of sense of
control and sense of identity in children takes place in various forms, and there are various
factors that influences the development in toddlers, in babies and in pre-schoolers. (Sartor,
2018).
Babies-
Sense of control or agency refers to development and implementation of the actions of
the babies in the different situations in the world. The sense of agency develops in the child of
age up to one year through the changes in the visual properties, colour and pattern etc. With the
development of child the the capacity of actions and perception of babies also changes. Example
of development of actions in babies- The sense of implementing the actions in child develops
with the help of intermodal perceptions that helps in psychological development in the child.

The parents of babies should help their child in developing a strong sense of agency by giving
them time to play with themselves. Through empathy, care, and respecting while having
interactions with the child. Social responsibilities in babies can be developed through securing,
and promoting confidence in the child. Concept of being says that, parents and educators should
focus on care and teaching of children.
Toddler-
In child of age from one to three years, the sense of agency develops in toddler due to the
physical environment in which different things takes place. The resources, experience and all the
other factors affects the the development and implementation of the actions of children of 1-3
years of age group(Sartor, 2018). Family and school teachers of toddler should support the
children in making decisions, parents should encourage and support the child by giving them an
opportunity to develop their ideas and point of views. This will help in development of sense of
agency in toddlers.
Sense of identity in respect of toddlers means that promoting self-awareness in the children.
Parents should motivate their child for rectifying their wrongdoings. Sense of identity in toddlers
develop when they starts recognizing themselves in the mirror or in a photograph. The sense of
identity develop when toddlers start recognizing self-conscious feelings and emotions like pride
etc. The difference in the feelings and personality of children up to 3 years of age have the ability
of influencing their approach towards the situations of the society. Sense of social
responsibilities should be develop through creating an environment for children so that they
experience and get the opportunities of making contribution in decision-making.
The sense of being in toddler is affected by the physical environment and it is affected by
childhood settings.
pre -schooler-
Sense of agency is very important for pre-schoolers. Parents should support their children
in development and implementation of actions of their child. They must listen to the ideas of
children. Example-To develop sense of agency, pre-schoolers should be given freedom to choose
their lunch partner(White, 2019). Those children that are having a strong sense of identity will
likely to accept more challenges. Example Sense of identity improves due to the manner in
which parents are responding to their child. Sense of social responsibility by helping children's to
participate in various social groups. Sense of being will be developed in pre-schooler through

representing trust in child, helping them to accept new challenges etc. Parents of pre-schoolers
should recognize the efforts made by their child in their personal decision-making. All these
helps to build sense of belongingness and being in children's.
Role of developing the sense of agency, self-identity, social responsibility and
being, belongingness in children's.
The development of sense of control, self-identity, self-being and belongingness or
social responsibilities plays an important role in early growth stage of the child.
Babies-
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive -Development says that, the children's moves from different
stages. The behaviour of babies transforms in different stages. The behaviour of infant changes
from exploratory behaviour to logical and abstract behaviour. The childhood settings at early
stages of infant plays an important role in developing sense of control in the child.
The identity of child that is different from others also plays a major role in early childhood
settings of babies. The relationship between place, things, response towards physical settings etc.
Sense of belongingness also plays an important role in early development stages of the child.
This is developed with the help of experience.
Toddler-
According to the Sensorimotor stage of children that comes under the age of birth to two
years of age group, the sense of agency develops in toddlers when they think with the help of
eyes, ears and other physical objects. Toddlers tries to imitate the activities of their peers, adults
and parents. Example- toddlers imitate the actions of others in a correct sequence. Sense of
identity also plays a major role in early childhood settings.
The sense of identity in toddlers can be developed with the help of creating awareness through
pictures or videos, imitation of everyday behaviour of other peoples like parents or play group
teacher, promoting the ability of toddler to solve various problems etc. Sense of belongingness
will also help in early settings of growth stage of the toddler. The sense will be developed with
the help of promoting the relationship of child with other children, expression of the feelings of
children. Social relationship will also play a major role in early childhood settings of toddler.
This can be possible through engaging the toddler in social environment, joining with other
children in play etc.

The social being and belongingness will also play an important role in early childhood settings of
the child. This can be developed with the help of tools and equipments for improving the skills of
toddlers. By participating in plays this will help to improve the well-being of toddlers. Well-
being of children will helps to develop sense of confidence and independence in the children.
Pre -schoolers-
The sense of agency plays an important role in early childhood settings in many ways.
The providers of child care should allow the pre schoolers to take their own responsibilities.
Child care providers should encourage the children for feeding themselves, they should support
children to dress themselves and also provide necessary help to them. Provide them the
responsibility of placing spoon and utensil on table.
All these will help in development of sense of agency in pre-schoolers(Lapsley, 2016). Sense of
identity also plays a major role in early childhood settings of pre-schoolers. Educators should
encourage the things that differentiates the child from others in pre-schoolers by acknowledging
and responding to the attempt of children's in having interactions with other children's.
PART 2
Various strategies and skills of teaching early childhood teachers require to promote sense of
agency and self-identity in children’s in early childhood settings.
Teaching strategies and skills in teacher managing child learning play a crucial role in
growth and development of child. Babies, Toddlers and pre-schoolers are the most vulnerable
groups in setting. Therefore, when managing learning of children, it is important for the
educators to focus on individual growth needs. Promoting early literacy among children is
necessary and needs to managed by teachers in social and language rich environment which
helps in developing sense of agency and responsibility. Incorporating use of teaching strategies
helps the educator in creating learning, critical thinking and cognitive learning environment for
children.
As per early year learning framework incorporating use of Reggio Emilia approach is the
teaching strategy for young children which aim at natural development of child in primary
education and pre-school. It is an inspiring and innovative approach where education of child is
focused on making the individuals resilient, capable and strong with knowledge and Wonder.

Apart from this, some of the strategies of teaching in early growth stage of child teacher require
to promote sense of identity and agency in children are discussed below:
· Open Questioning: Open ended questioning strategy by childhood teacher is
the most effective way of extending thinking ability of children. The strategy is effective because
it starts with what, how and why which promotes critical thinking and discussion (Fantini, 2015).
In accordance with this strategy, educators are responsible for asking question and maintaining a
conversation with child with questions like Let’s imagine about, Let’s investigate, I think, I
wonder, etc.
· Engaging in shared thinking: Engaging child in shared thinking is the most
important educators’ strategies which helps the individual in engaging children in conversation
and relationships which helps in developing sense agency. Shared thinking is based on open
ended inquiry and collaborative problem solving where children are given change to express and
elaborate situation. Further, shared thinking is effective approach of boosting early childhood
learning because it focuses on scaffolding children’s understanding. Thus, it can be said that
intellectual effort by child demonstrate sense of accomplishment among children which depicts
learning and thinking ability of the individual.
· Problem solving: Problem solving teaching approach is based on developing
deposition which aim at boosting child ability capacity to analyse situation from own
perspective. Further, it focuses on making meaning to certain situation which helps in generating
curiosity to which the individual handle with own creativity. As per Early learning framework
problems solving ability of children is based on curiosity of working, sense of enthusiasm and
commitment,Cooperation, reflexivity, confidence and consistency etc (Arthur, 2010). However,
to manage this early childhood teachers focus on providing a scenario which encourages interest
and involvement of child.
· Play based learning: This is based on integration of technology which is the
effective early childhood teacher’s strategy as it helps in gaining interest of child.This
encourages play based learning among children where the individual gets involved with social

environment, as they actively participates with people, objects and representations. This teaching
strategy helps the educators in gaining creative and cognitive outcomes.
Skills required for childhood teachers require to promote sense of control and self-identity.
The skills, practises and knowledge of the educators and child care teachers plays a major
role in improving the sense of belongingness, sense of identity, sense of social responsibility and
sense of being in infant, toddlers and pre schoolers. The educators should have deep
understanding of various concepts, and issues that might appear during the children care(Guo,
2016).
Child educators should have necessary skills of preparing the toddler and pre-schoolers so that,
they can gain necessary skills and knowledge required in schools for the children. Child care
teachers must have skills for determining the ways in which a child can learn new skills. All
these things will help the educators to develop sense of identity, sense of belongingness in infant,
toddlers and pre-schoolers. Child care teachers help in developing skills of children with the help
of learning, playing, questioning, solving problems, and experimenting etc.
Child care teachers should attend professional development programmes and classes, and they
must have some education qualifications so that, they can help to promote learning and
development of skills in children. There are various types of child care workers like preschool
teachers that helps in improvement of children in and outside the schools(Knaus, 2015).
The skills of educators will affect the quality of experience of the children. Professional
development of child care teachers will help to improve the practises, skills of child care
providers. This will result in improvement in learning and competencies like social and
emotional of young children.
Child care teachers must have required qualifications, they should receive necessary training .
Example- high school diploma for providing care to children etc. Child care provides must
possess specific skills such as-
Communication-
Child care teachers should have excellent communication skills so that, they can easily
and effectively communicate with the parents of children's. It is required for communicating the
progress of their child. Child care workers should have good communicating as well as good
listening skills both.

Decision-making-
Child care teachers should have strong decision-making skills so that, they can easily
make judgements in case of emergency situations.
Instructional skills-
Child care workers should have strong instructional skills. So that, they can give
instructions to young children's.
Interpersonal skills-
They must have interpersonal skills for improving relationship with children, colleagues
and parents(Green, 2016).
Patience-
Child care workers should have patience of dealing with difficult situations.
Stamina-
Child care workers should have lot of energy for dealing with children.
The relation between contemporary theory, and outcomes, practices and outcomes of the Early
Years Learning Framework with teaching strategies and skills.
The Framework of Early Years Learning was developed for guiding child care providers
that provides care to children's. The framework helps to support the educators in providing the
opportunities to children's for maximising their potential. According to the framework, in the
early period of growth stages of child is very important for the learning and development of the
children(Durksen, 2017).
The framework is the basis for ensuring that child care teachers must have adequate skills
and strategies for promoting learning and development in children. The framework has provided
very much importance to strategies like play based learning, communication skills of child care
teachers. The principle of framework says that, all the children must have right to receive
education, skills of educators help children in developing their skills.
The framework has provided the guidelines to educators for using strategies for implementing
childhood settings for promoting learning in children. It helps to promote communication,
language for improving the learning in children. The framework consist of three parts like
practises, principles and outcomes etc.
Pedagogy refers to a feature of child care educator’s in promoting decision-making,
learning in children. To make judgements they use their skills, knowledge, awareness of the

belies and personal styles etc. The experience of children helps to improve the knowledge of
children in respect of different concepts. Contemporary theory helps to promote the learning in
children. This may include theory for describing the changes in the process of development in
children. Socio-cultural theories focuses on the importance of improvement in the relationships.
The theory challenges the perspectives of traditional theories of teaching(Cumming, 2015).
Contemporary theory help to consider the different types of decisions in improving the behaviour
of toddlers and pre-schoolers. The theories helps to collect information regarding the way in
which children perform different activities.
The different types of elements of Early Years Learning Framework such as becoming, being
and affection.
There are various principles of Early Years Learning Framework they are as follows-· Secure relationship- Educators of children helps to promote the development of well-
being of children's with the help of strategies and skills. These strategies help child care
teachers in improving learning of children. Babies shows relationship with family
members, through this confidence, learning will develop in them.· Partnership- Working in collaboration with the families of children is an important skill
of educators to promote learning in children's. Family and educators both helps in
decision-making regarding children's. Partnership between educator and families is based
on their attitude and beliefs.· High expectations- Educators helps to remove the barriers that children's are facing
during their study. With the help of strategies and skills they ensures that, all children's
will receive opportunities of learning.· Diversity- Educators helps in promoting diversity in communities and they motivate
children for learning. They helps in resolving dilemmas and differences. Diversity in
culture of family and community affects the learning of children(Anderson, 2018).
Educators can adopt different approaches for promoting learning in babies, toddlers and
pre-schoolers etc. They can use holistic approach, promoting learning through activities.
They can also use intentional teaching, creating environment like physical and social for
promoting learning, by giving importance to the values of society and culture that can
create positive impact on the lives of children, by giving response to the problems of
toddlers and pre-schoolers etc.

· Learning and practice- Educators work for developing new ways for promoting
learning in community. There skills helps to collect information regarding children's that
will help to enrich learning and knowledge of children's. They help as a co-learner.
PART 3

EXPERIENCE PLAN 1
Plan Name: Children involvement with music
Child’s name: Age: (in years and months)
(0-2 Years)
Date/s presented:
Reason Behind Choosing this experience
In order to provide the children with the good experience, the organisation is going to provide
them with musical instruments (Durksen, Klassen and Daniels, 2017). Musical instruments are
going to ensure that the children's are being more involved in the activity. It has been seen as
music tends to create a connection between the soul and a human being. Along with it children's
tends to enjoy more when there they hear something new and apart from the usual.
Experience outline and outcome
Children's are going to learn and develop a sense of listening to the music. Music is going to
improve their ability to listen and be receptive towards sounds. In their childhood times, when
children's are being provided with better receptive things, they tend to gain more knowledge and
gain better experience in the upcoming times of their life.
Required materials for set up
The materials which are going to be required includes music player, musical instruments and
other important gadgets from which music can be produced (Lightfoot and Frost, 2015). This is
going to set up an environment for children where they will be surrounded with various musical
instruments. The experience will help the children to feel the musical instruments and
understand how they sound.
Linked developmental Priorities or EYLF learning outcomes
1. Making children's experience the music and allow them to learn about it.
2. Allow them to be in an environment where music helps them to grow and learn more by
being receptive towards things.
Linked EYLF Principle:
EYLF Principle:
The principle of “Experiences are meaningful and motivating to the child” is linked to the
philosophy of the experience plan.
A link to which EYLF Practice your plan most relates to:
EYLF Practice:
The practice of “supportive interactions with adults” is the plan mostly relates with.

What are your intended teaching strategies to support the child/children in this learning
experience?
In order to engage the children in the activities, the teachers or the mentors are going to make
them touch the musical instruments and would allow them to sense them (Green, Kalvaitis and
Worster, 2016). It is going to make them understand what music is and how it is made.
Evidence of implementation and general evaluation
The children were amazed by the new experience they received. They felt much more happy
and were satisfied from the activity.
Reflections of the experience
I saw that children's were being more involved in the activity. They were observing how
different musical instruments are making different sounds.
Future planning possibilities- Where to from here?
In order to make the experience better, I am going to make place for new musical instruments.
Also, good musicians will be hired to make children learn about the music.
EXPERIENCE PLAN 2

Plan Name: Games and Fun
Child’s name:
Date/s presented:
Rationale/reason for the chosen experience
The experience which is going to be provided to the children is SETTING UP: BLOCK +
HOUSE + MAT + SOME TRANSPORT TOYS. Under this experience they children will
be made to play with each with the help of these toys and would made to build relationships
with other children’s.
Experience outcome and outline
The children's are going to be play with each other with the help of transport toys (Knaus,
2015). They are going to made doing race with each other through the help of the toys and
ensure that they are building better relationships.
Materials/ Learning experience/environment set up
The Items which are going to be used includes mats on which the children's are going to be sit.
Toys such as transport toys, blocks, small houses with which they are going to play etc.
Developmental Priorities or EYLF learning outcomes (minimum of two). Link the
outcomes directly to the focus child or children.
1. Making children play with each other and build relationships with each other.
2. Allow them to experience the feeling of playing with other children and ensure their
personal development.
A link to one EYLF Principle which relates to the underpinning philosophy of the
experience plan:
EYLF Principle:
The principle of “Environments which reflect the life of the child and where they can make
genuine choices with open-ended materials” is linked to the philosophy of the experience
plan.
A link to which EYLF Practice your plan most relates to:
EYLF Practice:
The practice of “Allows the adult to understand how the child thinks” is the plan mostly
relates with.
What are your intended teaching strategies to support the child/children in this learning
experience?
In order to engage the children in the activities, the teachers are going to show them how they
can play with the toys and can build team with others. Along with it, they are going to
demonstrate they play by doing it themselves.

Evidence of implementation and general evaluation
The children’s started feeling engaged with each other and they learned more about the other
children’s by being engaged with them. They built relationships with them and felt more
happy and satisfied.
Reflections of the experience
I saw that children were able to talk to each other and they were enjoying the activity with
their hearts. They were happy and satisfied from the provided experience.
Future planning possibilities- Where to from here?
In order to improve the experience in the future, the children are going to be provided with
new activities of playing. In which they are going to be involved with other individual. They
would be made to play games such as hide and seek and etc.
EXPERIENCE PLAN 3

Plan Name: Role Playing
Child’s name: Age: (in years and months)
(3-5 Years)
Date/s presented:
Rationale/reason that you have chosen to present this experience
The experience which is going to be provided to the child is making them play role plays.
These role plays are going to include the role play of Doctor/Hospital, Manager/Office, etc. The
main objectives of the plan is to make sure that children are being more involved with each
other and they are learning new things.
Experience outline and outcome
The children are going to develop the skill of relationship building and team work while role
playing (Lapsley, 2016). They would also develop attentive cooperation and would enjoy the
activity.
Materials/ Learning experience/environment set up
For the activity the playing uniforms of doctors and children are going to be required. Along
with it, they necessary food and drink facilities for the children's is also required.
Developmental Priorities or EYLF learning outcomes (minimum of two). Link the
outcomes directly to the focus child or children.
1. Ensuring that children’s are learning new skills by engaging with each other and being more
social.
2. Allowing them to experience the role and responsibilities of doctors, nurses, managers etc.
A link to one EYLF Principle which relates to the underpinning philosophy of the
experience plan:
EYLF Principle:
The principle of “Opportunities to be challenged as well as to consolidate ideas and refine
skills” is linked to the philosophy of the experience plan.
A link to which EYLF Practice your plan most relates to:
EYLF Practice:
The practice of “Based on what the child is interested in or something that they are likely to be
interested in” is the plan mostly relates with.
What are your intended teaching strategies to support the child/children in this learning
experience?
In order to engage children more the teachers are going to show them what are responsibilities
of the doctor and nurses have. Also, they will practically assign them with duties and would be

a part of the game too. This will ensure that children are learning and enjoying at the same
time.
Evidence of implementation and general evaluation
Children's were happy while playing with each other and learning about the roles and
responsibilities of the doctors and nurses (Guo and Dalli, 2016). They were keen to know and
learn more.
Reflections of the experience
During the activities of role playing, I saw that children were interested in knowing more about
the roles which they were playing. Also, this made them to communicate and help each other
more.
Future planning possibilities- Where to from here?
In order to improve this activity in the future, I am going to ensure that new role plays are being
developed and children's are being made to learn about different role plays and how they can
improve in them.
CONCLUSION
The Report has outlined the terms such as sense of agency, sense of belongingness, sense
of social responsibilities in the children of different age groups like babies, toddlers and
preschoolers. The Report has also described the role of sense of control, the identity that
differentiates from others according with the Piaget's Theory of Cognitive -Development theory
etc. Further, the Report has described different types of skills such as communication,
interpersonal relationship, decision-making skills etc. and strategies like problem solving, play
based learning etc. that are used by child care providers for promoting the sense of control or
agency and identity in early stages of growth and development of child, the relation of strategies
and skills with the principles, practises and outcomes of Early Years Learning Framework. The
Report has also explained the learning for children in indoor and outdoor environment to
promote sense of control, self-identity, sense of being and becoming in babies, toddlers and
preschoolers.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals-
Anderson, B., 2018. Young Children playing together: A choice of engagement. European Early
Childhood Education Research Journal, 26(1), pp.142-155.
Cumming, T., Sumsion, J. and Wong, S., 2015. Rethinking early childhood workforce
sustainability in the context of Australia's early childhood education and care
reforms. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 9(1), p.2.
Durksen, T.L., Klassen, R.M. and Daniels, L.M., 2017. Motivation and collaboration: The keys
to a developmental framework for teachers’ professional learning. Teaching and Teacher
Education, 67, pp.53-66.
Green, C., Kalvaitis, D. and Worster, A., 2016. Recontextualizing psychosocial development in
young children: A model of environmental identity development. Environmental
Education Research, 22(7), pp.1025-1048.
Guo, K. and Dalli, C., 2016. Belonging as a force of agency: An exploration of immigrant
children’s everyday life in early childhood settings. Global Studies of Childhood, 6(3),
pp.254-267.
Knaus, M., 2015. ‘Time for Being’: Why the Australian Early Years Learning Framework opens
up new possibilities. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 13(3), pp.221-235.
Lapsley, D., 2016. The plot thickens: Personality and its development. Human
Development, 59(1), pp.37-48.
Lightfoot, S. and Frost, D., 2015. The professional identity of early years educators in England:
implications for a transformative approach to continuing professional
development. Professional development in education, 41(2), pp.401-418.
McAdams, D.P., 2016. human eVoluTion and The deVeloPmenT of PersonaliTy. Darwin's
bridge: Uniting the humanities and sciences, p.145.
Sartor, A., 2018. ‘Children in place’: A phenomenography of children’s understandings of place,
identity in place and looking after place.
Sokol, B.W., Hammond, S.I., Kuebli, J. and Sweetman, L., 2015. The development of
agency. Handbook of child psychology and developmental science, pp.1-39.

Wehmeyer, M.L. and Shogren, K.A., 2017. The development of self-determination during
adolescence. In Development of Self-Determination Through the Life-Course (pp. 89-98).
Springer, Dordrecht.
White, A.D. and Fleer, M., 2019. Early childhood educators’ perceptions of the Australian Early
Years Learning Framework (EYLF): Engaged professional learners. Australasian Journal
of Early Childhood, p.1836939119832083.
Online
Fantini, K., 2015. Extending children’s thinking through open-ended questions. [Online].
Available through: < https://earlyyearstraining.com.au/blog/extending-childrens-thinking-
through-open-ended-questions/>.
Arthur, L., 2010. The Early Years Learning Framework: Building confident learners. [PDF].
Available through: <
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/
RIP1001_EYLFsample.pdf >.