What Is Self-Concept and Why It Is Important for Kindergarten Students

While looking in the mirror, reaching a milestone, or seeing self-portraits, a sudden thought can occur, "Who Am I?"

At this point, one may begin to reflect on their idea of themselves and assess how they feel about themselves. This may then be followed by more thoughts that question the way they think and behave.

Self-concept formation starts at an early age and continues through adulthood. A positive sense of self helps one to grow, not in size, but physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally.

In this lesson, kindergartners learn how this growth happens and what self-concept is as they join their beloved puppet companions, Picks-it and Nix-It, on a journey to better understand themselves. Here, they also learn more about the goal of their social-emotional learning journey.

An interactive puppet show starts this lesson, where Picks-It notices that Nix-It is beginning to grow. Nix-It does not seem to be getting taller, however. What does Picks-It mean, then?

In the class discussion that follows, the lesson explains that there is another way of growing, and it is by learning more about themselves and cultivating a positive idea about themselves. As the discussion continues, kindergartners realize that it is what their journey to the Kingdom of Positive Action is truly about. Now that they understand what adventure awaits them, they are more ready than ever to reach and uncover the secret in Castle Self-Concept.

Afterward, the students are introduced to the "Growth Chart" poster which measures their growth in size. They are also introduced to the “Key Ring” mural poster and the “Keys” visual aid. These keys are what the kindergartners must earn to open the gates in the kingdom and continue with their quest. By the end of Unit 1, the students must earn their first key and attach it to their Key Ring in their activity sheet, so they can go on to their next adventure.

These materials are helpful tools that track their learning and growth progress. They also serve as positive reminders of how much they are growing in all ways, which can inspire them to always stay positive. At the end of the lesson, kindergartners receive their activity sheets, titled "Keeper of the Keys" and “Keys to Gates and Castle Self-Concept.”

It is important for young children, such as kindergarten students, to gain awareness of how they think about themselves, as it is how they can better understand their behavior. In Positive Action, self-concept is defined as the way they feel about themselves based on their thoughts and actions. Meaning, if they attract positive thoughts and take positive actions, they will have positive feelings about themselves. Conversely, if they think of negative thoughts and act negatively, they will gain negative feelings about themselves.

The goal of Positive Action is to intrinsically motivate students to intentionally think and act positively, by helping them become aware of how meaningful their feelings about themselves are. In each lesson, kindergartners are guided to feel good about themselves, so they can better direct their behavior.