Component 2: Sense of Self
Learning Goal 2.b: Children develop the confidence to complete an action successfully or independently.
By 9 months, most children:
- Demonstrate interest in objects or people
- Accept new toys or objects with interest
- Reach for objects of interest
- Focus on objects and people of interest for longer periods of time
By 18 months, most children:
- Show pleasure at their own actions
- Show attachment to or preference for specific toys
- Ask for similar activities to be repeated over and over
- Attempt to perform self-care activities independently of adult help
- Recognize their ability to influence their surroundings (e.g., standing on a table or feeding chair to indicate hunger to an adult)
By 24 months, most children:
- Alternate between doing things independently and wanting help or comfort
- Repeat activities and words and songs over and over
- Participate in solitary pretend play (e.g., wearing hats, talking on a phone)
- Help with simple tasks (e.g., picking up toys)
By 36 months, most children:
- Demonstrate joy in their own accomplishments (e.g., throwing away a napkin, flushing a toilet)
- Initiate new activities and explore new materials
- Demonstrate interest and pride in handling personal care routines (e.g., removing coat) with minimal assistance
By 48 months, most children:
- Choose materials and activities
- Participate in new experiences with confidence and independence (e.g., selecting more challenging puzzles)
By 60 months, most children:
- Resist help and demonstrate a sense of competence (e.g., insisting on dressing themselves, pouring their own juice, etc.)
- Stay with a task until it is completed
- Move between independence and dependence in a way that meets their needs for both and that is appropriate for the circumstances
