Belonging, Being, Becoming

 

 

The Early Years Learning Framework characterises children’s lives by the 3 B’s: belonging, being and becoming. The idea stems from the concepts that from before birth children are connected to family, community, culture and place via a complex web. Children’s earliest development and learning takes place through this web of relationships, especially via families, who are children’s first and most influential educators. At 3 Bees ELC we attempt to build upon the influence of a child’s family and aid your child’s development so that their early years education is robust and will help them as they transition to primary education, with the best chance of success. We help children participate in everyday life, so that they develop interests and construct their own identities and understandings of the world. 

BELONGING 

Knowing where and with whom you belong is integral to our human existence. Children belong first to a family, a cultural group, a neighbourhood and then a wider community. Belonging acknowledges children’s interdependence with others and the basis of relationships in defining identities. In early childhood, and throughout life, relationships are crucial to a sense of belonging. Belonging is central to being and becoming in that it shapes who children are and who they can become. 

BEING 

Childhood is a time to be in the moment, to make meaning of the world. The idea of being recognises the importance of the here and now in children’s lives. It’s all about the moment, creating and keeping relationships with peers and parents, engaging with the joys and complexities of each minute of each day. Early childhood education is not just setting up your child for the future, but also teaching them that the present is just as important. 

BECOMING 

A children’s identity, knowledge, understanding of the world and themselves, abilities, skills and relationships all change throughout their childhood. These elements of themselves are shaped by many different events and circumstances. The concept of becoming reflects this process of rapid and significant change that happens in early childhood education as children learn and develop.