Personal and Social Development

Children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives, and is fundamental to their cognitive development. Underpinning their personal development are the important attachments that shape their social world. Strong, warm and supportive relationships with adults enable children to learn how to understand their own feelings and those of others. Children should be supported to manage emotions, develop a positive sense of self, set themselves simple goals, have confidence in their own abilities, to persist and wait for what they want and direct attention as necessary. Through adult modelling and guidance, they will learn how to look after their bodies, including healthy eating, and manage personal needs independently.
Through supported interaction with other children, they learn how to make good friendships, co-operate and resolve conflicts peaceably. These attributes will provide a secure platform from which children can achieve at school and in later life.

We recognise that each child is unique and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured.

We aim to:

  • Ensure children feel safe and protected. That they feel valued and secure within the centre environment and to develop a feeling of trust.
  • Help children be independent and able to select activities and resources and develop their own ideas.
  • Develop children to show awareness and respect for the needs and feelings of themselves and others.
  • Ensure that children can express their feelings and opinions freely but in an appropriate way and respond appropriately to others.
  • Teach children to treat materials, equipment, their work and the work of others with respect, care and concern.
  • Encourage children to ask adults and peers for help and support when needed.
  • Develop self-reliance in children when caring for their personal needs.
  • Help children to differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable behaviours and to learn to behave in appropriate ways.
  • Teach children to negotiate with each other.
  • Ensure that children respect other cultures and beliefs and respect the rights of other children.
  • Support our children to respond positively to adults and form relationships with adults and peers.
  • Ensure our children can make choices without fear of stereotyping/bias.
  • Value our children’s background and family.