“You have to Maslow Before You Can Bloom”
There’s a phrase that educators like to use: “You have to Maslow before you can Bloom.”
Ok but what does that mean?
Before children (or people in general) can succeed academically and achieve higher order thinking, their most basic needs must be met. If you think about it, it really is difficult to concentrate on problem solving and persevering when we are hungry, anxious, on-edge, or feeling unsettled. The same is true for our kids. If a student arrives at school tired, anxious, sick, unsure if they belong, etc…true learning and critical thinking takes a backseat to basic survival instincts.
For families, this means that if your child is struggling with schoolwork, it does not always mean they can’t do it or don’t know how. Sometimes it means their energy is tied up in meeting those “Maslow” needs first. Knowing this can take away some of the guilt or pressure parents feel when homework turns into a battle. Supporting children’s learning at home often starts with meeting those basic needs before focusing on academics.
For teachers, it is a reminder that academic progress and behavior challenges often have roots beyond a desire to avoid work. A student who feels confident, supported, and safe is far more likely to engage in meaningful learning. Creating classroom environments that build belonging is just as important as meeting an exemplary mark on your latest observation.
Meeting those needs can be simple but powerful. An easy, but helpful, trick is to keep a visual in the classroom and/or at home of both Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Bloom’s Taxonomy. If your class/kids are driving you nuts, check the visual. Start at the bottom of Maslow and work your way up. Anything standing out? Try to meet that need or see what could be blocking that next level of thinking.
The beautiful part is that once those Maslow needs are met, children tend to naturally stretch into the “Bloom” side of things. They begin to analyze, problem-solve, and create because they have the foundation to do so. Is
“Well, back when I was in school, our teachers didn’t care if we ‘Maslowed’. We either bloomed or we failed, and we accepted that consequence.”
Yup! So true! And yet, both versions of this situation can be true. The reality is that kids are different now, especially in the realm of being more physically and emotionally safe to listen to their bodies. Sometimes that means engaging in challenging or unexpected behavior to communicate those unmet needs. While that used to mean an immediate trip to the office, it simply doesn’t look like that anymore. And so, we need to adapt, and knowing more about how we function as humans is helpful when taking those next steps to meeting kids where they are.
