Every toddler is anticipated to end up an impartial person in the future, able to make choices and address the results in their alternatives. However, for this to take place, studying wishes to begin early: autonomy in early childhood training is a essential component to ensure a infant’s healthful improvement.
In practice, the protective instinct often ends up speaking louder and we undermine any possibility that the child would have of feeling independent. As much as care is really necessary, overprotection can bring more harm than good.
What are the benefits of autonomy in early childhood education?
With the right dose of independence, growth becomes healthier and the child acquires learning that will be useful for the rest of their lives. Check out some positive aspects of a more independent early childhood education!
Accelerated cognitive development
With a little independence, one of the first things a child will learn will be, literally, the ability to think. When encouraged to deal with their problems, even if they are simple, they will have to think about the situation in order to find a solution.
All of this seems to happen almost automatically, but a lack of stimulation can make children feel insecure and unable to use their reasoning skills, even for the easiest questions. By being encouraged to look for solutions, children develop their cognition better and more quickly.
Social skill
Introversion is also often a consequence of overprotection, which can lead to major difficulties later in adolescence. Social skills are extremely important for communication skills , learning and creating emotional bonds.
A child who learns to be more independent develops a better ability to interact with others without parental intervention. This skill will be needed, for example, at school, when the child will have to interact with the teacher and classmates.
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence in childhood has two central aspects: the first is learning to deal with frustrations. It is during this period that children need to learn that not everything happens the way they want, and that they need to accept it. Games , for example, are a great way to teach children that they can’t always win.
The other fundamental point is coexistence with others. The child needs to learn to respect other people’s space, live with differences and understand that others also have their own desires.
How to stimulate autonomy?
Finding the proper balance among permitting your kids area and being too restrictive can be tough. However, if you’re bendy and are inclined to tweak your every day ordinary, it could make this project a lot simpler. It can also make the effort but you’ll get there.
Let the child be in control
Children tend to think in a much more imaginative manner than adults do. The next time your child comes up to you for a solution, try to avoid giving them a straight answer. Instead, work together on the problem at hand and try to come to a resolution together. By doing this, you will be enabling your child to think outside the box and find ways to be creative.
Don’t like how your child is maturing? That’s fine! You can always take a step back and allow them to use that creativity and come up with ideas of their own. However, for this to work, there also has to be mutual trust alongside the will to believe in your child’s potential.
Frustration management in today’s materialistic world is a dire necessity we seem to have overlooked.
Over-parenting is often the mistake parents shy away from ,but it is also crucial to help your child with managing their own frustration. Games can serve as an excellent platform for changing this dynamic, as we’ve mentioned before.
Another important point is to teach the child to recognize their mistakes and not to transfer the blame to others.
Make clear the burdens and rewards of each small choice
Every choice we make has its pros and cons, and it’s accurate for children to analyze this early on, so that they develop the capacity to make aware, properly-knowledgeable choices, as an alternative of performing solely on the emotion of the moment.
If your child insists on staying up late to watch a movie on a weekday, for example, remind him or her that he or she will have to wake up early the next day, will have less sleep, and will therefore be more tired at school. The next day, he or she will have to deal with the consequences of his or her choice.
What activities can the child do alone?
There are some practical tasks that can help children feel more independent and develop autonomy in a healthy way. Ideally, allow the child to complete the task, starting with stronger supervision, which will gradually decrease over time. Here are some interesting examples:
- make the bed;
- set the table;
- put away toys;
- eat alone;
- to brush your teeth;
- to have a bath.
For slightly older children:
- take care of a pet;
- sweep the house;
- go to the bakery (if it is close and safe);
- tidy the room;
- do schoolwork without supervision.
How does technology contribute to autonomy in early childhood education?
Children can use the Internet to do research for a school project. They can use interactive toys or reasoning games for older children.
There are several applications created to stimulate the motor and cognitive development of children at different ages. In addition, digital literacy , for example, has methodologies aimed at working on logical reasoning and independent problem-solving.
Technology offers countless possibilities that help children’s development, as long as they are introduced appropriately and children learn from an early age to use them consciously and responsibly.
As you can see, there are several tools available to develop autonomy in early childhood education, an aspect of utmost importance that only brings benefits, both for parents and children.