Independence is something that all children should aim to develop throughout their lives. It’ll help them manage things on their own, and when they reach adult age they’re going to really rely on being their own manager. From a young age you can teach your child about how they can be independent using some of these top tips from a private nursery in Cobham.
Ask your child what they would do in different situations
This is something you can let your child pick up from a young age. Start small – show them a scenario that’s either happened on TV or in public and see what they say. Ask how they would tackle a similar problem if it would happen to them. Let them think about what they want to say instead of pushing them for an answer. As they grow older they’ll be able to pick this up more naturally as they assess situations.
Test your child’s problem solving skills
Being independent involves a number of skills – being resilient, being responsible and being able to solve problems. Your child should naturally be able to solve these problems if you’ve been teaching them from toddler age.
Allowing yourself to pause and wait for a response from a child is a good way of testing your child’s problem solving abilities. Then you’ll need to progress your child’s skills through actionable solving tasks. Board games, cleaning up their own mess and tidying their bedroom are examples of ways to build on this.
Give your child chores
Chores are a common way of getting your child aware of the responsibility they hold in the household. Give them different chores each week to figure out which tasks your child prefers to pick up and what they prefer to avoid. The difficult part is your child is going to have to try all of these chores at some point, but working with them and coming to a compromise will help them ease into it better.
Let your child look after their routine
At toddler age your child will need a lot more help than when they’re heading to primary school. By the time they head to primary school or prep school they should be in charge of their morning routines.
Let them dress themselves in the mornings, right down to tying shoes and getting their school ties right. Allow your child to pick what they’d like to eat for breakfast each morning as well. Give them full control of their routine and they’ll be more conscious of their own decisions.
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