Building confidence in early learners through play

Children’s positive views of themselves as learners are more important than being told they are clever.

This insight from Nathan Wallis’s talk at the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) conference resonated with us, and we believe it’s valuable for parents to hear. Our intention isn’t to make parents feel guilty for praising their children’s intelligence. We understand that parents aim to foster a strong sense of self and ability in their children, and we fully support this. However, Wallis emphasises that before the age of seven, children don’t need to prove their intelligence. Instead, they need to develop learning skills through play and believe in their ability to learn. According to Wallis, more play and less structured learning before age seven leads to better outcomes in adulthood.

“To put it simply, before seven, it doesn’t matter how clever your child is. What matters is how clever your child feels and their disposition towards themselves as learners,” Wallis, an educator who focuses on neuroscience, explained on the Future Focus podcast.

“You’re better off having a six-year-old who can only count to 20 but thinks they’re a good learner than a six-year-old who can count to 100 but doubts their cleverness.”

Wallis highlights that free play boosts creativity and problem-solving, which are essential for intelligence. Letting children freely build, create, and explore supports flexible thinking and a positive learning mindset.

Supporting children to view themselves positively

At the conference, which attracted hundreds of early childhood educators, Wallis offered advice on how to support children in their confidence and ability to learn:

  • Support children’s sense of security through consistent and warm nurturing relationships
  • Give children your full attention, showing interest, understanding, and attunement
  • Support children’s progress in play-based learning by thoughtfully extending their knowledge, skills, and concept development
  • Provide flexible and open-ended learning environments
  • Provide feedback focused on effort and process, rather than outcome or product
  • Respond to children’s displays of learning dispositions by commenting on them and providing encouragement and additional ideas. 

Experts at Early Childhood Australia agree that children learn about themselves, others, and the world around them through play.

“If you provide your child with plenty of opportunities for playing, exploring, discovering their interests, solving problems, and tackling challenges, then you’ll be laying a strong foundation for building self-confidence,” says David Lyons, CEO of Nido Early School, in a post on ECA’s The Spoke blog.

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Effective praise and handling disappointment

According to Be You, the national mental health and wellbeing initiative for learning communities in Australia, praise is most effective when adults are mindful of how and when they use it.

When praising children, Be You suggests focusing on their efforts and achievements.

“Praise that’s specific and acknowledges the process of completing an activity or solving a problem helps develop children’s learning and motivation. For example, you might say, ‘You put away your toys so nicely,’ ‘I noticed you were really trying hard at building that block tower,’ or ‘You’ve used so many bright colours in your painting.’ Children can then use this learning when they have similar experiences in the future.”

Lyons agrees and cautions against overpraising.

“Children need to discover and learn those things that give them personal enjoyment and fulfilment, not just do things to please their parents. Similarly, comparing a child to others can be detrimental to their confidence and self-esteem.”

Dealing with disappointment is also crucial for developing confidence.

“Everyone fails to achieve their goals sometimes – and this isn’t a bad thing. You can build children’s ability to deal with challenges by responding sympathetically and with encouragement, helping children focus on what they can change, and challenging ‘I can’t’ thinking by showing and saying you believe in them and reminding them of their achievements,” says Be You.

Wallis reinforces that play enables children to develop social, cognitive, and emotional skills through their own interests and in creative and innovative ways.

“Play-based learning teaches creativity, which is fundamental to growing intelligence and the ability to problem-solve. When children can take their time and make multiple attempts before achieving success, they build resilience and other important skills needed later in life,” says Wallis.

Encouraging a positive self-view in early learners

Supporting children in developing a positive self-view as learners is crucial, especially in their early years. Emphasising the importance of play over structured learning fosters creativity, problem-solving, and resilience. By providing nurturing relationships, paying attention to their efforts, and creating flexible learning environments, we can help children build the confidence they need to thrive.

As Nathan Wallis and other experts highlight, the goal is to make children feel capable and enthusiastic about learning. This foundation will benefit them not only in school but throughout their lives. At Little Scholars, we encourage our little ones to play, explore, and believe in themselves – because how they see themselves as learners today will shape their success tomorrow.