Agency: How We Can Support Our Children Through Life’s Transitions


 

Tips and Tricks for Back to School
Agency: How We Can Support Our Children Through Life’s Transitions

It’s that time of the year when change is ubiquitous! Pomp and Circumstance are on repeat and a heavy shower of mortarboard hats raining down from the sky. Your children are making big leaps into new territory: our students are transitioning into a new grade, seniors have graduated, and families are on the move. Despite all the moving parts and changing variables, there is one thing we can focus on to help our children through these transitions in life: agency.

Agency speaks to the capacity to make decisions that have an impact on one’s life. As adults, this resonates with us deeply. It’s what we associate with being an adult; the power to make choices that directly affect our lives in one way or another. For children, developing a sense of agency is essential as research has found that it contributes to their well-being and adjustment as well as school grades (Gurdal & Sorbing, 2018).  As a former child myself, I can attest to the importance of feeling in control of your life in some way at that age. 

The importance of viewing children as active agents in their lives, capable of creating meaning is outlined in the UN Convention on the rights of the child. Allowing children to develop and exercise their sense of agency is a well-established right. At ISPS, affording children the opportunity to be enquirers and active learners is a core value of our program and can be seen not only in our Vision and Mission but also in our curriculum. Our Grade 5 students demonstrated this beautifully with their Exhibition this year and chose to delve into topics such as gender equality, children’s rights, and environmental safety. We recognize and empower our children to take charge of their own learning and make their own choices and decisions.  

Developing a sense of agency in a child’s early years helps them establish trust in the adults charged with taking care of them and their environment. This foundation is key and here is where I would like to share with you a bit about Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development. He posits that throughout the lifespan, individuals grow and navigate eight chronological stages influenced by biological, psychological, and social variables (Lewis & Orenstein, 2022). The theory is not meant to be exhaustive or is without criticism, but I think it is a great guide not just for our children but for us as it extends far into adulthood. Despite the fact that we no longer grow vertically, though horizontal growth is still a threat, we do still continue to develop and hone our personalities as adults. I’ve included a diagram that summarizes the theory and puts it into context for development and as you read you will understand why we focus on agency. 

Here are a few tips on how we can foster a healthy sense of agency taken from the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority:

At this stage of your child’s life, biological, physical, and social development is rapidly progressing, and it might be hard to keep track of all that is happening. It’s ok if you don’t always feel in control or have the answers right away. 

If nothing else, just be present Moms and Dads. 

Your children won’t forget seeing your smiling faces in the crowded auditorium or out in the field when they look up. 

 

“A parent’s love is whole no matter how many times divided.” – Robert Brault


 

Resources

  1. Gurdal, S., & Sorbring E. (). Children’s agency in parent–child, teacher–pupil and peer relationship contexts. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being 13(sup1). doi: 10.1080/17482631.2019.1565239

  2. Orenstein, G. A., & Lewis, L. (2021). Eriksons Stages of Psychosocial Development. StatPearls Publishing. 

  3. https://www.unicef.org/media/56661/file

  4. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-04/QA1_SupportingAgencyInvolvingChildreninDecisionMaking.pdf 

 

Alyssa Jones
Elementary/Grade 6 Counselor
ajones@isps.edu.tt

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