Image of the Child
Creating your ‘Image of the Child’
Having a strong or rich ‘image of the child’ means looking at a child as capable and competent and knowing that the possibilities for that child are endless! Babies’ brains are wired to learn, develop language, and attach and socialize with their parents and caretakers. Each child is unique and has preferences and interests that are there from the very beginning of their life. They want to understand their world and they have curiosity and motivation to do that. We want to invite them to represent their learning in different ways. We want to recognize and engage their competencies.
“In the Reggio Emilia preschools each child is viewed as infinitely capable, creative, and intelligent. The job of the teacher is to support these qualities and to challenge students in appropriate ways.”
Teaching Tools
What does it look like to embrace and support ‘image of the child’ with your children in a Reggio classroom? There are specific pedagogical tools that can support this idea! We go more in-depth with these ideas and more in our Reggio-Inspired Teacher Playbook and Reggio Courses.
Image of the Child
Environment as the Third Teacher
Documentation
Reggio Emilia Philosophy
