Shared Values and Behavioral Norms
Level 6
~2 years, 1 mo old
Jan 15 - 21, 2024
🚧 Content Planning
Initial research phase. Tools and protocols are being defined.
Rationale & Protocol
For a 2-year-old (approx. 108 weeks), 'Shared Values and Behavioral Norms' manifests concretely through understanding routines, social roles, empathy, and basic rules within their immediate environment. Abstract concepts are too advanced. The selected Grimm's Large Wooden House provides an unparalleled platform for experiential learning in this domain. It allows for:
- Concrete Modeling: Caregivers can model various social interactions, routines (e.g., mealtime, bedtime, tidying up), and 'polite' behaviors using the dolls and furniture. This makes abstract norms visible and tangible.
- Emotional Expression & Empathy: Children can act out their own experiences, process emotions, and begin to understand how actions impact others through role-play. This is foundational for internalizing values like kindness and cooperation.
- Role-Playing & Social Understanding: By playing 'family,' children learn about different roles, responsibilities, and the dynamics of shared living spaces, directly linking to family values and community norms.
- Language & Communication: Facilitates rich dialogue around social situations, problem-solving, and emotional understanding, enhancing their ability to articulate and follow norms.
Implementation Protocol for a 2-year-old:
- Setting the Scene (Daily 10-15 min): Initially, the caregiver should lead the play. Set up simple scenarios, like 'breakfast time' or 'sharing toys.' Use clear, simple language to narrate the actions: 'Baby doll is sharing her block with Daddy doll. That's kind!' or 'It's time for the dolls to clean up their room.'
- Modeling Desired Behaviors: Explicitly act out behavioral norms. If a doll 'bumps' another, the caregiver can say, 'Oh dear, say sorry, then give a gentle hug.' If dolls are sharing a toy, emphasize, 'Look, they are taking turns, that's fair.'
- Encourage Imitation & Expansion: Once the child shows interest, invite them to participate. 'What should the baby doll do now?' or 'Can you help the dolly share?' Follow their lead and gently guide them back to the 'norm' being explored.
- Connect to Real Life: After play, make connections to the child's own daily experiences. 'Remember how the dolls shared their toy? You did a great job sharing your truck earlier!' This reinforces the learning and helps transfer it to their actual behavior.
- Focus on Emotions: Use the dolls to explore emotions. 'How does this doll feel when her toy is taken?' Use simple emotional vocabulary and encourage the child to express their own feelings during play.
Primary Tool Tier 1 Selection
Grimm's Large Wooden House
This open-ended, high-quality wooden dollhouse serves as an exceptional tool for a 2-year-old to explore 'Shared Values and Behavioral Norms.' Its simplicity encourages imaginative play, allowing caregivers to model and children to act out social scenarios. It facilitates understanding routines, family roles, empathy, and basic rules like sharing, turn-taking, and cooperation. Unlike more structured toys, its open nature allows for the projection of diverse social situations and values, making abstract concepts tangible through hands-on role-play. It provides a safe space for children to experiment with cause and effect in social interactions, which is crucial for internalizing norms at this age.
Also Includes:
- Grimm's Wooden Flexible Dolls (Family Set - Assorted Skin Tones) (50.00 EUR)
- Grimm's Wooden Furniture for Dollhouse (Basic Set) (70.00 EUR)
- Ecostore Toy & Highchair Cleaner (8.00 EUR) (Consumable) (Lifespan: 26 wks)
DIY / No-Tool Project (Tier 0)
A "No-Tool" project for this week is currently being designed.
Alternative Candidates (Tiers 2-4)
Haba My First Games - Orchard
A cooperative board game for toddlers where players work together to harvest fruit before the raven reaches the orchard. Features chunky wooden pieces.
Analysis:
This game is excellent for introducing the concept of cooperation and turn-taking, which are fundamental behavioral norms. Its cooperative nature emphasizes working together towards a shared goal, rather than competition. However, while valuable for specific norms, it is less open-ended than the dollhouse for broad exploration of diverse shared values, family dynamics, and emotional processing through role-play, making the dollhouse a more versatile primary tool for this topic at this age.
Wee Gallery Organic Cotton Emotion Flash Cards
A set of high-contrast, black and white flashcards (or soft fabric cards) depicting various emotions.
Analysis:
Understanding and identifying emotions is a crucial precursor to developing empathy and internalizing behavioral norms. These cards provide a simple, age-appropriate way to introduce emotional vocabulary. However, they are primarily for emotional recognition rather than the active modeling or acting out of 'shared values and behavioral norms' in complex social scenarios. They serve as an excellent supplementary tool but lack the comprehensive experiential learning offered by the dollhouse for this specific topic.
What's Next? (Child Topics)
"Shared Values and Behavioral Norms" evolves into:
This node fundamentally comprises two distinct types of collective prescriptions: the abstract, guiding principles and ideals that a group deems good, desirable, or important (Shared Values), and the specific, often unwritten rules and expectations for conduct that dictate appropriate behavior in various situations (Shared Behavioral Norms). This split separates the underlying ethical/moral compass from its practical manifestations in collective conduct, creating a mutually exclusive and comprehensively exhaustive division of the parent concept.