7 important things little children should be allowed to do
The way kids spend their time these days is very different to the generations before them. The perceived increased danger, the busyness of our lives, the rise of dual working parent families and a shift in the make up of the family unit has meant that “childhood” is defined differently by different people. The shared belief however, regardless of the above, is the desire to raise happy, healthy and well-adjusted children. Providing space and opportunity to explore and learn different skills first hand is key to helping kids make sense of the world. Here are seven things all kids should be allowed to do on a regular basis.
- Eat unassisted – Yes it’s easier and less messy to help a child to eat yourself but allowing them to explore their food and learn how to use utensils is a life skill that goes far beyond the immediate lesson and helps teach self-reliance, perseverance and self-confidence.
- Assist the grown-ups – Kids, especially of pre-school age and older often almost fall of themselves to be helpful. They want to be involved in your life, usually in the most mundane ways and though we don’t mean to, we often shut them down due to busyness or the desire to get the job done quickly. Rethinking this and embracing their desire to help not only builds important skills but also lays the groundwork for them to grow into a helpful primary school kid and teenager.
- Draw or paint freely – We often try and guide children in what we think they should create. “Why don’t you paint a picture of your new truck/the bird we saw/your favourite teddy?” While these are harmless suggestions and prompts they de-rail a child’s desire to paint whatever it is that’s happening in their own heads. Allowing them the space to paint/draw/create without any input, apart from encouragement, can offer fascinating insight into what they are thinking and feeling.
- Express themselves – The current generation of children are being heard like never before. Most adults understand that their child is a complete individual with their own thoughts, feeling and desires. Even with this knowledge however, it’s easy to impose your own ideas onto a child, sometimes without even knowing it. Bringing awareness to what you say and how you say it can help open up space for individual conversation and thoughtfulness.
- Run, jump and shout at home – Kids are noisy bundles of energy. It’s sometimes necessary to contain the crazy but too much control leaves a child with precious little outlet for their emotions. Letting kids be themselves at home can mean the difference between a relatively relaxed and settled child outside of the home and one who is desperate to run free now that they’ve escaped the confines of their house.
- Have fun in the playground – A playground is purpose built for play. That may seem obvious but with the number of rules and regulations we often impose on kids upon arrival at the swings, it isn’t always the case. Teaching kids the safest way to play, ensuring they know their own limits, setting some ground rules then letting them run free allows the playground to be used in the way it was intended.
- Watch their choice of TV – Some thing will be off limits but giving children the power to choose what they want to watch shows that you trust their judgement and are interested in what they find entertaining. You might be surprised and even find some common ground, especially with older children and teens.
Related links:
Grandparenting in the 21st century
Are the lives of children today too hectic?
Why we shouldn’t praise clever kids and start celebrating effort