Page 32 - Meeting with Children Book

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complex meanings and interactions. The younger the
child the less internal structure there is to hold
complex patterns. By the age of 2 children are forming
an autobiographical self and “the I-self / me-self”
emerges. Children can begin to tell you basic
information about themselves including likes and
dislikes and personal descriptors about the self. The
internal structures to hold complex ideas and
situations is still very shaky for the developing child
and therefore they need to use their own language to
share emerging issues, themes, feelings and thoughts.
This is the language of symbols and metaphors.

Symbols
What is a symbol?
It is an action, object or event that expresses or
represents a particular idea or quality.

It can be a letter or group of letters, a character or a
picture that is used instead of a word or group of
words.

Children use symbols every day during play, school
and in communication with others. The action or
objects they use tell us about how they feel and what
they think.

Sometimes children simply use a symbol without
accompanying spontaneous words to explain the
symbol(s) and other times they use symbols and
words.