Seeing your little ones grow up can be hard at times. You want to keep them small and dependant on you yet also see them grow into little people. They really do grow up so fast so remember to enjoy every moment. Seeing them brush their teeth and get dressed on their own are big milestones that show us how they slowly become independent. How can we help with those independent skills?
We’ve already discussed a whole post on helping your child learn to get dressed on their own so we will link that down below but what about other things?
Learning to brush their teeth, comb their hair, feed themselves, and blow their nose are all important things for children to get a hang of before going to school.
Using a mirror can really help aid in helping your children refine these skills. They will get to see what they are doing instead of just feeling, so do try this technique.
Watch your children perform these tasks and allow them to make mistakes. Remember children learn best from their own mistakes and don’t expect them to perform the task perfectly as mistakes will occur. This will take time and a lot of trials and errors. By watching them you can later correct their mistakes but do not be too harsh when doing so.
You can also perform the tasks together. So, for example, it’s time to brush their teeth, brush yours too in the mirror next to them. That way you’ll model the activity for them and also indicate how long it should be done.
Praise and encouragement go a long way. These two go hand in hand and are vital for these independent skills to be mastered by your young ones. Praise them when they do get it right and if they get frustrated because they aren’t managing right away, help them out a little. Helping them doesn’t mean you do the task for them; it means you help out with the most difficult parts.
The last thing is patience. We know life is super busy these days and sometimes we cannot even find the time to brush our hair, let alone spend 5 minutes watching our children try to accomplish the tasks by themselves but in the long run this will help you. Once they learn these skills, you won’t have to worry about getting them ready for school as they will be able to do most of it alone. Try practicing these self-help skills in the evening before bed that way you’ll have more time meaning more patience.
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If you enjoy reading our blogs, check out our blog on the importance of playtime:
https://www.childcaremalta.mt/playtime/