When you ask children what they want to be when they grow up, you are likely to get all sorts of interesting answers. From astronaut and teacher to zookeeper, doctor and wizard, the sky's the limit when it comes to students’ ambition. What's more, each time you ask, you might get a new answer.
This is the beauty of a child's mind: they think imaginatively and dream big.
As a parent, you want your child to be fearless in thinking what he can do, achieve any career aspiration in his sights, and have a bold, bright future. This, however, means he needs to be equipped with more than math, English and history knowledge; he needs specific skills, qualities and traits that will open the door to limitless possibilities through a passion to learn and the confidence, critical thinking and resilience to always try.
Holistic growth focuses on the development of all those attributes, competencies and faculties a will need to blossom into a confident, responsible, and self-aware individual capable of forging the future. This holistic development encompasses five key dimensions intrinsic to leading a fulfilling life: social, emotional, spiritual, physical, and intellectual.
The five dimensions of holistic growth are not independent of each other; rather, they influence, inform, and bolster one another. And when they harmonize, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, resulting in an individual who experiences an improved sense of well-being, can meet life's challenges head-on, and possesses the skills vital to succeed and thrive in a dynamic world.
Therefore, to encourage, enable, and empower your child throughout life and help achieve dreams, Bloomster will help you ensure your child receives an education that targets holistic growth.
The Five Holistic Education Dimensions
The holistic growth approach integrates and equally emphasizes all five of the following dimensions to help your child through each stage of learning, starting from toddlerhood, early childhood, middle childhood, pre-adolescence, to adolescence and early adulthood.
Social Dimension
No person is an island. As social beings, we rely on each other to fulfill our needs. As children begin to become self-aware, they naturally start to interact with the people around them. The development of the skills and behaviors that enable them to communicate, cooperate, and build relationships with others is known as social development.
As with the other dimensions, a child's experiences, environment and education contribute to the honing and refining of their social skills. These characteristics and qualities allow them to express their thoughts clearly, build healthy relationships, be empathetic, and resolve conflict throughout life.
Emotional Dimension
From joy, envy and sadness to anger, boredom, fear, and sympathy, people experience a broad spectrum of emotions. Learning to understand the nature of these emotions is essential for children. For examples: how and when feelings arise; the outcome of reactions to emotions; which thoughts and behaviors are detrimental to their well-being; how to respond to a trigger.
With guidance, counseling, and training, emotional development can be nurtured. As children develop a strong emotional intelligence or emotional quotient, they are able to cultivate positive emotions, effectively navigate the uncertainties of life, build a coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions, make better life choices, connect with others more deeply, contribute to society, and experience a sense of fulfillment.
Mindfulness Dimension
The ability to believe and have faith in something beyond themselves inspires a person to conduct themselves ethically, foster moral behavior, and find meaning in life. Mindfulness development provides a child with the skills, tools, and framework they need to withstand adversities, become resilient, and have an optimistic mindset.
In addition, mindfulness practices promote a sense of hope, gratitude, and contentment, which is critical in the modern world, where people often feel isolated and disconnected. Thus, growth along the mindfulness dimension is as essential as the other four dimensions for a child to develop into a self-actualized person.
Just as a diamond's facets help bring out its brilliance, when the various facets of a child's personality are polished, they help them sparkle. Parents can assist their children in discovering their inherent talent and bringing their dreams to fruition with the holistic growth of their five dimensions.
Physical Dimension
The physical changes the human body experiences throughout various stages of infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood are termed physical development. These changes occur in height, weight, skin, body mass index, hair, sexual maturity, and in the development of our fine motor skills and sensory processes of olfaction (smell), gustation (taste), vision, and hearing, and equilibrium (balance and body position).
While a child's genetic disposition and environmental factors contribute to the pace and level of their physical development, other factors like exercise, quality of sleep, diet, and hygiene play a significant role in their physical growth. When this aspect is supported by social, emotional, intellectual, mindfulness, and physical
development, the child can realize their physical potential.
Intellectual Dimension
The growth in a child's cognitive abilities is referred to as their intellectual development. This includes their ability to make observations, express themselves, learn fine motor skills, process information, think logically, comprehend abstract concepts, find solutions to problems, build language skills, understand the cause-and-effect relationship, acquire knowledge, pursue artistic endeavors, expand their thinking, and more.
Through our interaction with the world around us, the guidance we receive from our family members, caregivers, and educators, and as our brain develops from childhood through adolescence, so does our intellect. Mental growth hence is an ongoing process which can be fostered by creating a conducive environment, adapting the teaching techniques to match the unique learning needs of a child, providing timely guidance, and aligning it with the other four dimensions of holistic growth.
