Maslow’s pyramid is a hierarchy of priorities model presented by the psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943, developed to understand the needs of man throughout his life. According to this model, the ultimate goal is to achieve happiness , so we find it very interesting to be able to work on children’s motivation based on this model, which you may not yet know.
Basic needs of a child to be happy
- Basic physiological needs
At the fundamental base of the pyramid are the physiological needs of the child, such as having an appropriate diet, a timely rest at their age, abundant hydration and good health care in terms of vaccination schedule , medical control, hygiene in house, etc.
- The need for security
The child needs security, which is transmitted with love and protection, to be able to grow up in an environment full of affection and to be able to have and enjoy good mental health. In this step of the pyramid it is important to emphasize the family, since the family is the fundamental basis of a child’s safety and it is there where he learns the values, where he sees the example, where limits are set and where they are placed the rules . It is always in the family where the child’s main guide will emerge, that role model that will provide emotional well-being.
- Development of social relationships
Social relationships are the third step of children’s needs, and this point tells us about relationships that go beyond family unions, that is, our levels of sociability. By nature, children need to feel accepted within the social groups to which they belong, and to achieve this we must give them very important tools, such as the values of empathy, coexistence or tolerance. In this sense, as parents we can help the little ones by making them participate in school and extracurricular activities , taking them to play sports, letting them have fun in parks and birthday parties … etc., since all these types of activities will allow them to Children interact more and more with their peers, lose their fears and make friends and enjoy expanding their circle of trust each day.
- Self esteem and recognition
Children must grow up with good self-esteem, which requires self-confidence and recognition from others. And to face this point of the pyramid, the first thing is to accept yourself as you are, with your virtues and your imperfections, since this will be the basis of your self-esteem. And for them to have good self-esteem, parents must avoid unnecessary criticism and the search for harmful perfectionism in the child, since this could lead the little ones to an excessive level of self-demand and even a progressive loss of self-esteem if the criticism or the level demanded exceed the limits.
The next thing is to give the children the necessary tools to be able to solve conflicts, since the human being needs the recognition of third parties to feel safe. That is why the first recognitions must come from the family itself , and often in the form of praise for what is done well, since this is very important for personal growth and for progress through that pyramid of happiness.
- Reach dreams and wishes
Dreams and desires are at the top of the pyramid, and in order to achieve and enjoy them it is necessary to have the most basic needs of the pyramid covered, as well as an important motivation. Once this is accomplished, it must be taken into account that it is about children discovering what their true wishes and desires are, and that is why it is important to listen to children’s dreams and listen to them in order to guide and encourage them towards them, at the same time than to separate them from those possible dreams that could be more dreams and failed wishes of the parents, projected over time into them.
Let’s not forget that Maslow’s pyramid tells us about our own happiness and our own personal advancement and growth , for which it is essential to be sincere and have a significant level of security and motivation.
