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helping children help themselves
All early childhood education and care providers have come across the determined two year old who wants to do everything on their own. This almost defiant independence is a natural and healthy part of a child's development and is how they learn to do the many tasks required of them in later life.
Early childhood education and care providers can help young children become independent by allowing and encouraging them to take responsibility for themselves whenever possible.
It can be faster, more efficient and less messy to do things for children, but they learn so much from doing things on their own.
When children practice self-help skills such as feeding and dressing themselves, they practice their large and small motor skills, gain confidence in their ability to try new things and build their self-esteem and pride in their independence.
There are four main types of self-help skills:
Self-feeding
The best way to build independent feeding skills is to learn the normal developmental stages of self-feeding. Encourage children to practice feeding themselves from infancy.
Begin by offering older infants finger foods. Introduce a spoon and fork and give children plenty of time to practice. Let children be as independent as possible during mealtimes. Give them the tools they need to be successful. Consider bowls that attach to the table, child-sized utensils and small cups with handles and spouts (such as measuring cups) for pouring. Encourage children to try for themselves but provide help and encouragement when needed so they don't get frustrated.
Independent dressing and grooming
Encourage children to dress and groom by themselves; just provide minimal assistance. Begin with older infants and toddlers by encouraging them to help pull socks on and off, pull up pants after nappy changes and help put their arms through sleeves. As children get older, encourage them to dress themselves but help with challenging steps such as zipping and buttoning.
Hygiene and toileting
Look for signs of readiness for toilet training. Encourage children learning to use the toilet to climb on and off the toilet seat, pull clothing up and down, and wash their hands independently. Washing hands properly is not as easy as it sees and children need to be taught how to risk the chance of them becoming ill.
Encouraging children to take care of everyday hygiene routines and to use the toilet independently helps them learn how to become more independent and self-sufficient, and frees up your time to help children with other activities.
Helping with daily chores like table setting and picking up toys
Encourage children to help with clean-up early on. Give toddlers responsibility for placing napkins or utensils on the table. Encourage children to begin clearing their own plates when they are old enough to carry them without dropping them. Children involved in regular chores starting before the age of four, tend to be more independent than children without the experience of helping out.
Self-help skills are worth the time and effort in a child care program. The secret to success is to give children age-appropriate experiences and provide the appropriate supports to help children be successful. Child care providers can offer opportunities for children to develop self-help skills and give them ample time to work on these important tasks. Also remember that adults are important role models and children learn a great deal from their daily interactions with carers.
This article is based on Ways to Encourage Self-Help Skills in Children
By Extension: America's Research Based Learning Network
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