Mattering in Early Childhood: Building a Strong Foundation for Life 

Recently, the concept of mattering—the feeling that we are valued and have value to add to the world—has gained momentum among scientists and practitioners as a key ingredient for lifelong well-being. And, while mattering is important to us all, our sense of whether or not we matter—to our loved ones, our communities, and the world at large—begins in the earliest days of infancy. While it’s never too late to build a sense of mattering, when we start early, we can have an outsized positive effect on children’s health and well-being across their lifespan. And, when we build a mattering ecosystem that helps children’s adult caregivers feel valued and significant, this sense of mattering ripples out into our kids and their broader communities. 

Understanding the importance of mattering in early childhood—as well as strategies we can all use to help young children and their caregivers feel that they matter—feels particularly critical in our current moment. Policies and programs across a wide range of issues can send powerful signals that people matter—or that they don’t—from paid family leave, to housing and nutrition subsidies, to immigration laws. The power of mattering is that it is remarkably actionable. Caregivers, teachers, business owners, early care providers, and policymakers all have a role to play in building a broader ecosystem of mattering that benefits us all. 

In our new paper, co-authored with Jennifer B. Wallace, award-winning journalist, and founder of the Mattering Institute who has written extensively on mattering, we explore the science around mattering in early childhood as well as concrete strategies for building a sense of mattering in young children.

Sections include:

• Why We Need to Matter 
• Core Building Blocks of Mattering
• The Importance of Feeling Valued  
• The Importance of Adding Value 
• ​How Peers, Places, and Adults’ Experiences Affect Young Children’s Sense of Mattering  
• 11 Ways To Help Young Children Develop a Strong Sense of Mattering

^{Suggested citation: Harvard Center on the Developing Child. (2025). Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu}