Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

How Children React to Unmet Needs

In this activity, you will:

 Understand children’s behaviour in relation to unmet needs, according to their age

and development

Facilitator’s notes:

In this activity, you will discuss with participants how children react to unmet needs, according to their

age and stage of development, as indicated in the table below.

For this activity you will need:

 Flipchart and markers (optional)

To facilitate this activity:

1 For this activity, you can once again make use of role-play. Explain that children have different

priority needs at different ages. You may review these different needs with the participants.

2 Then explain that children will react in different ways, again according to their age, when these

needs are not met. You may ask for volunteers to act out each of the examples (i.e. crying,

irritability, temper tantrums, fighting with friends and siblings or rejection of parents’ values).

3 Following the role-plays, explain that such behaviours are often the result of hidden fears and

give examples based on your notes. Ask participants to suggest other fears that children may

have, and how they might express those fears.

Activity 2

Age

0 -1 year

13 - 18 years

1 -5 years

6 -12 years

Needs Deeds (if needs not met)

Love

Security

Physical contact

Bonding

Approval

Attention

Mastery of skills

Recognition

Worst fear

More freedom

Sense of direction for

future life

Finding own values

Soiling

Crying

Irritability

‘I will starve’

Abandonment

Temper tantrums / disobedience

Fear of dark

Hyperactivity

Bed wetting

Eating problems

‘My parents will leave me’

Competition

Fighting with friends and siblings

Perseverance

Rebellion

Rejection of parents’ values.

Experimentation in sex and

in drug abuse

‘I will never be good at

anything’

‘I won’t be a success in

life’

‘I will repeat my parents’

mistakes’

‘Peers won’t accept me’

45 minutes

Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Unit 2, Module 2^151