Honoring the Potentials of Children

On March 12, I gained a new role in life … becoming Grandma to a beautiful baby girl. Wow, is my heart full!

I’ve loved working alongside children and families throughout my entire career, championing their development and well-being. Yet seeing my very own grandchild welcomed into our world makes me feel as though I am experiencing this fascination for the very first time.

I am mesmerized by

• The wonder I see in her eyes as she connects with her parents
• The movement of her body as she begins to make sense of her world
• The sounds she vocalizes as she communicates with us

Experiencing this reminds me of a poem, “No way. The Hundred is There,” that inspires and helps guide our work at the Children’s Museum of South Dakota.

The poem is written by Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Here is a portion of it:

“The child has a hundred languages,
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
A hundred always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds
to discover
a hundred worlds
to invent
a hundred worlds
to dream.”

All babies are born with these hundred. And studies show that the newborn brain grows faster than it ever will again.

In fact, babies begin learning by expressing these hundred during play.

Connecting with babies while sharing a story builds literacy and vocabulary.

Offering materials to touch and grab builds understanding of their world.

Supporting and honoring their big feelings builds trust and self-regulation.

I marvel at how a little human can have so much capacity to play, to connect, to learn!

Children lead their own learning

And it doesn’t end there – children of all ages have incredible potential, creativity, and diverse abilities that encompass 100 hands, thoughts, and ways of understanding the world.

At the Children’s Museum of South Dakota, we welcome and honor all children who come into our space. We do not take lightly our role in considering the infinite ways they learn and express themselves.

We empower children to bring their whole selves and strive to create spaces where they can test and practice the hundred as they lead their own learning.

We are here. Come play with us!