The hidden curriciulum
Schools are social spaces with many shared and unique interests, feelings and needs.
Children need schools where there is space and time for them to learn how to build and be in relationships.
Discovering and building relationships is among the most significant learnings of childhood.
This learning is the “hidden curriculum” that we don’t speak enough about - the discovery and theories about me and others.
*Others are like me and different from me
First friendships are formed by mirroring each other’s actions, shared interests, playing with the same materials, and sharing the same space. Through these moments, children begin to experience the likeness and differences they share with others - they experience the common thread of being human and our uniqueness.
*When we are with others, we experience many feelings
Friendships and relationships come with
a mix of joy and difficult emotions. Being
in relationships is warm and fun.
Being in relationships also means having conflicts and disagreements.
*We all have needs
Everyone has needs. When our needs are met, we feel safe, secure and content. When children are a part of a social group, they experience what it means to have shared and different needs. They learn to make space and look out for others - listen, empathise, cooperate, and support. They also learn to be aware of their own needs - to ask for help, to find individual spaces, to assert and stand firm when they need to.
