Playful Minds, Purposeful Lives: The Role of Self-Expression in Childhood

By Ma. Haislee Olimberio and Ana Katrina Gomez

A vital component of children's emotional, social, and cognitive development is their ability to express themselves. It is a process that helps kids express their ideas, feelings, and thoughts and helps them have a better knowledge of both the world and themselves. Fostering and supporting children's self-expression is crucial for their general welfare and establishes the groundwork for sound emotional intelligence.

Children acquire the ability to recognize and communicate their emotions via various mediums, including play, painting, and spoken communication. Through this process, they can become emotionally resilient, learn to control their feelings, and become self-aware (Rough, 2023). Children who can express many emotions become more resilient to adversity and cultivate closer bonds with others. Effective communication and language development are strongly correlated with self-expression. Youngsters who are given opportunities to express themselves grow in vocabulary, acquire the ability to describe their ideas, and improve their ability to communicate their needs and wants (Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas, 2021). Children who learn to identify their emotions, are laying the foundation for emotional intelligence by beginning to recognize and name their feelings. It also provides children with healthy outlets, a healthy coping mechanism, for expressing their emotions so that they learn to navigate and manage their emotional experiences for their emotional development. Their academic achievement is enhanced by this early communication skill development, which also paves the way for future interpersonal connections. Children acquire the skill of navigating social encounters through self-expression. As they voice their opinions, they learn to comprehend and value those of others. Developing critical social skills and establishing healthy relationships depend on this equilibrium (Rough, 2023).

Furthermore, children are more likely to participate in cooperative play and collaborative learning when they feel comfortable expressing themselves. Children may discover and celebrate their cultural identity via self-expression. Through storytelling, artistic crafts, or familial customs, kids establish a connection to their heritage and a feeling of acceptance (Aurora, n.d.). Self-expression aids in the development of a person's identity by assisting kids in realizing their personality, values, and distinctive qualities. It is integral to the holistic development of children as it influences identity information, cognitive abilities, emotional well-being, social interaction, and academic achievement.

Encouraging children to express themselves is essential to their overall development and goes beyond providing them with a creative outlet. Promoting self-expression fosters various positive traits, including social skills, creativity, self-esteem, emotional grit, and a strong sense of self. Our duty as parents, teachers, and community members is to provide settings that value and encourage the variety of ways kids express themselves to give future generations a better and more fulfilling future. Fostering and facilitating various types of self-expression during childhood establishes the foundation for a child’s holistic development and progress.

Grade 6 students from Juan Sumulong Elementary School creating their zines and sharing their dream career with their peers and the volunteers.

Courtesy: Ana Lynel Anacan

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References

Aurora. (n.d.). Importance of Self Expression In Early Childhood. Aurora Early Education. https://auroraearlyeducation.com.au/importance-of-self-expression-in-early-childhood/

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas. (2021, May 27). Kids activities at boys and girls clubs of central Texas | self-expression: Key to child development. Boys and Girls Club, Killeen, TX | Kids Life Skills. Leadership & Sports Activities in Texas. https://www.bgctx.org/blog/self-expression-key-to-child-development

Rough, L. (2023, July 25). Creativity and self-expression in childhood: Why is it important? Tribe Early Learning. https://www.tribeearlylearning.com.au/importance-of-creativity-and-self-expression-in-childhood/

Mary. (2022, December 21). The Importance of Self-Expression In Children. Go Greenva. https://www.gogreenva.org/the-importance-of-self-expression-in-children/#google_vignette