Supporting Emotional Growth at Aspire Baldivis

Emotional growth is a key component of any young child’s development. At Aspire Early Education and Kindergarten Baldivis, there are many activities on offer to support the emotional growth of the children at the centre.  

What is Emotional Growth and Development?

Emotional development begins at birth and continues to rapidly develop in response to a child’s experiences and influences of their environment. The main features of emotional development include identifying and understanding one’s own emotions and feelings, being able to identify different emotions in others, regulating behaviour, developing empathy for others and building and maintaining relationships. The foundations of social and emotional competence that are developed in the first five years of life are linked to emotional wellbeing, the ability to adapt to different circumstances and successful relationships in adulthood.

Self Portraits in the Kindy Room

Self-portraits are a great way to enable children to begin to understand self-identity. Young children love to look at themselves in the mirror as they begin to realise that the reflection is 'me'. As they get older, children learn words such as eyes, nose, and ears. The children then made faces of different emotions in the mirror, and drew themselves with different emotions. Drawing self-portraits brings a sense of self to the child, which then enhances their understanding of who they are and their emotions.

Check out some of the centre’s amazing kindy children's self-portraits below!

Rainbow Breathing Exercises

Aspire Baldivis’ children have loved doing rainbow breathing exercises during quiet time.

There are a few different kinds on rainbow breathing exercises. The one practised at Aspire Baldivis involves placing a finger on the outermost colour on the rainbow poster, red. Then the child inhales deeply in as they trace their finger over this rainbow colour to the other side. After this, they put their finger on the next colour in and slowly breathe out. This is repeated with the rest of the colours of the rainbow, alternating between breathing in and out.

Teaching young children simple breathing techniques can help them regulate their emotions and reduce anxiety. Taking deep breaths activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls stress reactions. Focusing on a simple task such as breathing also can distract the mind from any nervous feelings or thoughts.

This experience was scaffolded by the butterfly yoga in their morning mat sessions, which supports the children with emotional regulation.

At Aspire Early Education and Kindergarten Baldivis, supporting emotional growth is an integral part of the learning journey. Through engaging activities like creating self-portraits and rainbow breathing exercises, children develop a deeper understanding of their emotions, build self-awareness, and learn valuable self-regulation techniques. As a result of fostering a nurturing environment that prioritises emotional development, Aspire Baldivis ensures that children have the tools they need to navigate their feelings, build strong relationships, and thrive in all aspects of life.

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