The second Early Learning and Development Area (ELDA) in the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) is Identity and Belonging. This area focuses on helping children develop a positive self-concept, understand their place in their family and community, and build healthy relationships with others. It's about feeling secure, valued, and connected.
Aims of the Identity and Belonging ELDA: The primary aims of this ELDA are to enable children to:
- Develop a strong sense of self and self-worth.
- Understand and appreciate their own family, culture, and community.
- Form secure attachments and positive relationships with peers and adults.
- Develop social skills like cooperation, empathy, and conflict resolution.
- Gain a sense of agency and confidence in expressing their needs and ideas.
Developmental Guidelines (Examples for Babies, Toddlers, Young Children, Towards Grade R):
- Babies (0-12 months):
- Beginning: Respond to familiar voices and faces, show comfort with primary caregivers.
- Moving On: Smile in response, show interest in other babies/children, begin to recognize self in mirror.
- Advancing further: Express joy at seeing familiar people, may show stranger anxiety, begin to express preferences.
- Toddlers (1-2 years):
- Beginning: Start to use "me" or "my," show possessiveness over toys, imitate actions of others.
- Moving On: Seek comfort from familiar adults, show awareness of other children, engage in parallel play.
- Advancing further: Begin to share toys with encouragement, show empathy when others are upset, understand simple rules like "no hitting."
- Young Children (2-3 years):
- Beginning: Start to articulate their name and age, identify family members, show increasing independence in routines.
- Moving On: Engage in simple cooperative play, take turns, express their feelings (e.g., "I'm sad"), show awareness of gender roles in play.
- Advancing further: Develop friendships with peers, show understanding of rules in games, begin to understand fairness, appreciate cultural differences in their immediate environment.
- Towards Grade R (3-4 years/ages 4-6 if this is the focus for Khula):
- Self-Concept: Express pride in their achievements, talk about their feelings and preferences, understand they are unique and belong to a family.
- Relationships: Initiate and sustain play with peers, share and take turns without constant adult prompting, resolve minor conflicts through discussion, show care and concern for others.
- Cultural Awareness: Begin to understand and appreciate their own cultural background and show respect for the diverse cultures of others in the group.
- Sense of Agency: Express opinions and preferences, make choices, and demonstrate increasing independence in daily routines and problem-solving.
Examples of Activities for Adults to Promote Identity and Belonging:
- Create a welcoming and inclusive environment where every child feels safe and valued.
- Encourage children to talk about their families, cultures, and traditions through photos and stories.
- Facilitate cooperative play, helping children negotiate and share.
- Read books that celebrate diversity and different family structures.
- Help children identify and express their emotions appropriately.
- Assign simple classroom responsibilities to foster a sense of contribution and belonging.
- Teach songs and games from various cultural backgrounds.
