Encouraging independence in children

Independence is one of the most important qualities you can give a child. Children naturally are eager to develop and if you give them some space, the opportunity and the confidence they will become more and more independent. Independence makes children feel more confident, proud and active. The Nanny Club is happy to give you a few tips to encourage the independence of your child.

Let them do their own thing

One of the first things you can do to encourage your child’s independence is to give them some space to do their own things. For example, let your child choose a hobby or a type of sport they like. You can also let the child make its own sandwich, dress itself, walk to a friend’s house and decorate its own room. This does not mean that you have to let your child do everything he or she wants to do. As a parent you should try to listen carefully to what your child wants, try and explain why certain things can or can’t be done. This ensures that the child expresses his or hers own opinion and can develop interests, but that he or she knows that there are limits.

Playing in a new environment

Playing is an important part of developing your child’s independence. Therefore, it is highly recommended to take your child to many different play environments and introduce them to new play materials. A new play environment means discovering and learning new things. You stimulate a child the most by letting it do something independently, with a little help of someone. It is important to pay attention to what your child is trying to do independently. Something that is too easy will not challenge your child and something that is too difficult will cause unnecessary frustration. So find a good balance between your child’s level and new environments and play materials.

Break it down into small steps

Some skills are too complicated for young children to learn all at once. For example, brushing their teeth or tying laces. If the skill is too difficult you can break it down into smaller steps. Consider:

– Ask the child if he or she knows what the first step is in doing the task;

– Tell the first step if he or she does not know the answer;

– Show how you would do it if your child doesn’t know how to do it. And then let him do it himself while you help him;

– Give a compliment when it goes well.

Teach social rules to your children

As your child becomes more independent it is important that your child also learns some social rules. An example of a social rule is to thank people when they give you something. It is often the job of the parent to teach the social rules to the children. The best way to do this is to give examples of situations and explain why the rule is important and why it is important to follow these rules.

The Nanny Club finds it very important to stimulate the development of the children. By setting personal development goals for every age range of the children, our nannies will definitely add value to the children’s education. For more information regarding these developmental goals, click here.