Teaching Your Kids Independence

One of the goals of parenting is to raise independent, self-motivated children. This, however, does not mean doing everything for them as children. Teaching them to be independent early on is key to helping them grow and develop as well-rounded individuals. As early as two years old, you can start encouraging your child to make simple choices. Here are some areas where you can start:

Household Chores

Depending on your child’s age and how focused they can be, they should be able to handle simple household chores like washing dishes or sweeping floors. Young children can start by cleaning their rooms in the morning and putting the groceries away. If they’re too young to start helping out around the house, you can start by having them put their toys back in their proper places after play time. Assigning chores to your children gives them a sense of responsibility and helps boost their self-confidence.

School Work

It’s one thing to explain equations and unfamiliar words to your first grader but it's another story when a typically-developing middle school child needs you to help keep track of schoolwork on a daily basis. Setting good work habits early on as part of child care in Australia can help your child learn about responsibility. When he gets older, he’ll start to do things independently and stop relying on his parents to tell him what to do and when he should do it.

Opinions

One mistake parents often do is not allowing their children to have their own opinions. They often force their opinions and beliefs on children because they are perceived to be too young to know better. However, doing so will only make your child more dependent on you. Encourage your child to think about things and form an opinion on everything from news events to fictional stories. Talk about them about issues during dinner or on the way home from school. Listening to your child shows them that their opinions matter and that their ideas are valuable. If you disagree with something they said, turn it into a learning opportunity to teach them how to debate while respecting the opinion of other people.

Creative Childcare aims to raise independent and well-rounded children through creative childcare in Australia. Our facilities are specially designed to help foster a fun learning environment for children. For child care assistance in Australia or to learn more about creative childcare, contact us today.