This has been on my mind for a while now and I haven’t brought it up as it can be quite a sensitive topic. Allowing a child the time to learn skills for themselves is a painful process. It is definitely more efficient and less messy to do things for them. However, taking time out of your day to show your child how to do it for themselves can benefit them in so many ways. Too often I see children incapable of doing simple things because it was always more convenient for the adult to do it for them. Parents, if you are reading this I urge you to take some time out of your day and allow your child the chance to observe and follow. Children are like a sponge. Just because they cannot do it today does not mean they won’t be able to do it tomorrow.
I am a huge advocate for child-led learning. I believe in Caden and his ability to be able to do anything he wants, when he is ready. I have witnessed this at home and really wanted to share some of the activities we implemented at home to help him achieve his full ability.
There are so many ways you can encourage your child to start doing things for themselves. A good place to start is during mealtimes. Children are fully capable of feeding themselves from the moment the start the weaning process. Allow your child the chance to feed themselves regardless of how messy it can get. This provides such a good sensory experience for them. I have always engaged Caden in preparing his food. It is good for a child to know that food does not magically appear on their plate and a lot of work goes into washing, chopping and cooking before it is ready to be eaten. From the start I have cleaned in front of him and once able and willing, he also started to clean after himself.
With all that being said, it definitely is a very long learning process. It requires a lot of time and patience to finally get there (almost).