this is how you stimulate independence in a child

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You may not want to think about it yet, but your child will become more independent over the years and need you less and less. How do you prepare them for that? With these six handy tips you can already stimulate independence.

Independence is important in a child’s development, as it gives them a sense of self-esteem and self-confidence. That’s how you stimulate it.

Tasks

Give your child more and more chores that they can do independently. Did they play with toys? Let them clean it up themselves. Have they cleared their plate? Let them put the used plate in the dishwasher themselves. These are small tasks to start with, but which you can expand further and further. In this way they learn that their parents are not staff and that not everything goes smoothly. They also learn that everyone has to contribute to the family.

Lead by example

Good example, good follow! And from whom do children learn better than from their parents? So set a good example. Children go through four phases in taking on tasks, namely: following an example, doing it together, trying it alone and doing it yourself. So the sooner you set a good example, the sooner they will imitate.

Also read: ‘I find it difficult that my child is becoming more and more independent’

Learning from mistakes

You are probably familiar with the saying ‘you can learn from mistakes’. Make that clear to your children too. Making mistakes is not a bad thing at all, as long as they try and learn from it.

Compliments

Did your child perform a task well or try something new? Then compliment him. You probably already do that, but an extra compliment never hurts. It gives children self-confidence and that is a building block for independence.

Patience is a virtue

You might do the housework in a jiffy, but your child probably isn’t that fast. Therefore, be patient. Even if your child does not come up with something right away, it is good to wait and see whether they come up with a solution themselves or whether they really need help.

Read also: Stop time: everything about the development of your child by age

Challenging environment

Play is important for children’s independence. They learn about the world around them through play. A stimulating environment with enough challenges is therefore extremely important. You stimulate a child the most by letting him do something he can do with a little help from you. Is it too easy? Then it’s not challenging enough. Is it too hard? Then it can be frustrating. So find a good balance and find activities and toys that match your child’s level.

Source: Parents of Now

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