Your child doesn't dress alone? We give you some tips
Children grow up very quickly, especially those first years of life that fly by and when we least realize it they are already independent men and women.
Strengthening a child's autonomy is very beneficial because it motivates him to be aware of his own abilities, increasing self-esteem and developing his own abilities to a higher level.
Establishing a good balance between parental guidance and at the same time strengthening independence constitutes a healthy and loving parent-child relationship in which they identify themselves as capable and valuable people who have the support of their parents, and this is what we want to point out to you. We will present tips that will help you to strengthen the independence of your child without being from care.
How to teach them independence?
Children are capable of many tasks, however probably the time and precision with which they do them is not going to be compared to that of an adult, and should not be.
They have their stages and processes that they must complete at their own pace, do not try to force your child, on the contrary, identify his abilities and put him in situations where he can practice them so that he can progressively have a greater scope.
We can teach independence to our children by including them in the adult tasks that we carry out daily at home, this under teaching and supervision.
One of the techniques that favors the independence of our children is to buy or adapt the household utensils to their height, for example it is convenient that the table where they eat is at their height, that their plates and cutlery are of adequate size.
This way you can promote independence at mealtime by teaching him the correct way to handle utensils and then letting him do it on his own.
Remember that this is a progressive process, your child will probably fill up with food and also fill the table, you must be prepared for these types of situations and let him explore with the cutlery until he can use them correctly.
In general, you can teach your child from your own example, they are able to absorb and imitate our behaviors, so if you do the activity together, he will see more easily what is expected of him and through imitation he will be able to learn these guidelines.
How to support him in creating his own independence?
One of the stages in which children's independence is reinforced the most is when they are learning to dress themselves, for this we must support them and make things easier for them so that this process runs smoothly.
We can support our child by planning what steps he will need to carry out the activity, teach him these steps and reinforce when he achieves them.
The game is a great learning tool with our children, make these routines a fun activity, let them choose which outfit they want to use, they can even practice beforehand on their dolls and stuffed animals so that they have the motor skills developed to carry out the task towards himself.
Accompany and encourage your child in his independence processes, guide with patience and avoid generating anxiety in activities, do not make fun of him, encourage him to try as many times as necessary, to make this process of learning to dress even easier we bring some tips.
Tips for the house
Distribute the work: In that first moment in which your child still cannot fully take charge of dressing, you can encourage him to do the easy part while you take care of the more complex steps such as the buttons and zippers of his clothes.
Make it easier: If you can take steps like taking the clothes out of the dress or placing the shoes so that they are ready to put on, your child will be able to do most of the work and this will make him feel capable and supported.
Do routines: Introduce this task progressively, you can start at bedtime or after bathing and then generalize it to every time you have to get dressed or change.
Let him choose: Being part of the decision will make him feel taken into account, and it will be even more fun to choose the combinations.
Have fun with your child throughout this process, look for songs or games that involve these activities so that both of you can enjoy these moments, seeing our independent children grow up is a source of pride for all parents, motivate them and always accompany them with love and understanding.