The objective of this study is to examine the meaning of 'Care' from four year old
children's writings from the 'Care' education program using picture books. The
participants of this study were 31 4-year-old children(13 boys, 18 girls) enrolled in
child care center in Seoul, two teachers, and a researcher. The 'care' program were
developed and implemented for about 16 weeks(2007.08~2008.12). The result of the
study is as followed.
First, the four year old participants of this study described the meaning of 'care'
through the happiness, thankfulness, and the expectation of care from being with the
family. They showed the appreciative and sympathetic thought through their expressing
happiness, thankfulness, and love from the everyday experience with the family. They
formed the meaning of 'care' through the experience that allowed the children to think
again about the happiness and thankfulness regarding the experience of 'care' from
parents and families. Also, the children expected the families, mostly the parents, to
care for them in situations of fears, hardships, and conflicts, and looked for mental
stability from it.
Second, the participants of this study experienced the meaning of 'care' through
picture books' characters such as neighbors and friends, and applied the meaning to
their real life situations, thus specifying the meaning of 'care.' They deeply understood
the difficult situations the characters, friends or neighbors, and teachers were in, and
showed the heart of 'care' for them. They learned the characteristics of 'care' through
interacting with the neighbors or friends, and the characters of the picture books, and
applied the 'care' to real life situations, trying to apply the act of 'care', thus learning
the meaning of 'care.'
Third, after analyzing the writings of the four year old participants of this study,
[we] found out that the children's interest in nature and environment has increased,
the children became to worry about the nature and environment, the children put the
care of the nature and environment into actions, thus forming the meaning of 'care' for
the nature and environment themselves. The children did not limit their care to
families and friends, but expanded it to the nature and environment, and suggested
specific plans for nourishing the nature and environment, expressing the meaning of
'care' strongly through actions.