As children continue to grow and develop, they want to become more independent and they should start to gain more independence. For some children, this is easier to continue to encourage and as they get older they should be gaining more skills and independence. Are you wondering how to help your children with this and encourage this skill?
Developmentally, a toddler is gaining independence and wanting to be their own autonomous person. This is hard at this age as there are not as many choices a toddler can make. They can make some choices though such as what color cup or plate, choosing between two weather appropriate shirts to wear, or what snack to eat. If they are given smaller choices at this age, then they can learn how to start making decisions and they will also feel that they have some independence. This can be continued as they continue to grow and develop. As they are making smaller decisions, they are learning how to make choices which is important.
As children continue to grow, it is important to help them understand the consequences of their decision so they can learn how to apply this knowledge to bigger decisions as they continue to grow. If they can learn how to think about the decision and what the potential consequences are, they can better make smart decisions.
Along with decision making comes having responsibilities in the house and outside of the house. As children get older, they are going to want to be able to go out with friends and this will eventually mean without parents present. It can also eventually mean getting to a location on their own. For some parents, this is a stressful idea because they want to keep their children safe. While this is understandable, if you never let them be independent, how will they learn? As this independence is given, it is important for the parent to feel more comfortable and for the child to have given some proof of responsibility. How can this happen? This can be shown by having children take more responsibility in situations that are not as complicated and with not as much to loose. It is important to remember that this is a skills that needs to be learned so children are not going to just know how to do. This is taught by helping them with time management skills which means helping them figure out how long something is going to take and how to account for that activity in their schedule. It is helping them learn how to plan long term.
As the weather is starting to get warmer, it means that children will most likely be outside more and if they are older wanting to meet up with friends somewhere. If they are getting some place independently, it is important to make sure they know how to get to where they are going. Depending on the child and age, you may tell them when they need to be home and what they need to accomplish before they leave. This is where the time management skills are going to come in. It is also important that children know how to be safe when they are on their own such as crossing streets and avoiding strangers. These skills can be taught and observed prior to having them do them independently.
With these privileges of going out of their own and without parent supervision, typically also comes some responsibilities around the house as well. These do not have to be major tasks, but having them contribute to the household and be part of the family team. This could be tasks such as emptying the dishwasher, helping with or doing laundry, or taking out the garbage. They are also responsible for making sure that their homework is completed as well. If they still need help with getting it done or planning for projects and tests, this is where the time management skills comes in.
As children are getting older, it is typical to expect them to take on some additional responsibilities and learn some of the skills such as time management. These skills take some time to learn, but they are important life skills for as they get older as well. Are you wondering how to help your children gain these skills and become more independent? If you are looking for more advice, feel free to reach out to me.
