Children who have greater self-awareness of their abilities are more confident and have better self-esteem.

Self-awareness develops in tandem with language skills.

The ability to cooperate with peers and become a true social partner develops over the second and third years of life, corresponding with growing social understanding.

Through a series of empirical studies using mirrors and videos, developmental psychologist Rochat suggested that children develop through a series of levels of self-awareness between birth and approximately age four or five. Self-awareness is observed by how children respond to their reflection in a mirror.

Level 1: Differentiation - At this point, children start to become aware that what is reflected in a mirror is different from what they perceive in the environment. Level 2: Situation - This level of self-awareness is characterised by a growing understanding that self-produced movements can be seen in the mirror's surface. Children are also aware that it is their movements they are observing. Level 3: Identification - At this point, children recognise the image in the mirror as themselves rather than someone else staring back at them. Level 4: Permanence - Children can identify themselves reflected in a mirror and identify their image in pictures and home movies. Level 5: Self-consciousness or "meta" self-awareness - At this level, children are aware of themselves from their perspective, and become aware of how they are in the minds of others.