Recently, I was at the juice bar at Whole Foods and next to the cashier is an area where the kids play. There were two children and their mom. The little girl looked to be around 2 years old and her brother was about 4 years old. While waiting for the cashier, I found myself watching the children play. At one point their mother said to the little girl, “Kelsey, you seem to be done playing with the ball”. When the little girl continued to play with her next toy, her mother gently touched her arm and said, “Kelsey, I need you to pick up the ball and put it back where it goes so the next child can play with it”. With this simple reminder, the girl walked over to retrieve the ball and return it to the bin. I was so elated with this mom, I had to say something. “Wow, kudos to you mom”. At first, she just stared at me. But, I wanted her to know how impressed I was. So, I went on to say, “I worked with little ones. You did that very nicely. First, you made a statement. Kelsey, you seem to be done with the ball, and then you told her that you would like her to put it back. She looks to be about 2 years old, it was nice to see you make her responsible for the things that she is playing with”. The mom laughed and said, “It doesn’t always go that smoothly”.
I remember when I was 3 years old, my mother gave me two chores, one personal chore (to brush my teeth on my own) and one to benefit the family (to sweep the floor under the table after we ate). Looking back at that today, I think my mother gave me that chore to teach me to eat without making such a mess. As I got older, my chores changed, but I have always remembered when my mother said I was old enough to have my own chores to help the family, like my brothers and sister did.
Giving chores to children is a great teaching tool! It teaches the child:
- That they are part of a family or community
- To respect and be responsible for what they are using
- Team work
- To follow directions to complete a task
- Shows self-direction and life skills
Even within the classroom, the children are taught self-help skills and that they are part of the larger group. As a member of the group, they have shared responsibilities. Throughout the school day, the children participate together in activities. By teaching them to work together to clean up after themselves, the children show that they can follow directions and cooperate with their peers to complete a task. By caring for the things they’ve used, it shows they are responsible. As the children get older and have demonstrated this, they are given more flexibility to use any materials they need, so they can organize more extensive play situations; which gives them great pride in their achievements.
Teaching the children self-reliance is huge, it builds a child’s confidence. Therefore, when they enter new situations it is already easier for them, and they will be more successful because they have learned life skills along the way.
If you are like the mom that I met, and want to teach your child skills of self-reliance and to be responsible, you may want to check out the link below. It’s a list of chores your child can do at home starting at age 2 – 3 years old.
Recently, I was at the juice bar at Whole Foods and next to the cashier is an area where the kids play. There were two children and their mom. The little girl looked to be around 2 years old and her brother was about 4 years old. While waiting for the cashier, I found myself watching the children play. At one point their mother said to the little girl, “Kelsey, you seem to be done playing with the ball”. When the little girl continued to play with her next toy, her mother gently touched her arm and said, “Kelsey, I need you to pick up the ball and put it back where it goes so the next child can play with it”. With this simple reminder, the girl walked over to retrieve the ball and return it to the bin. I was so elated with this mom, I had to say something. “Wow, kudos to you mom”. At first, she just stared at me. But, I wanted her to know how impressed I was. So, I went on to say, “I worked with little ones. You did that very nicely. First, you made a statement. Kelsey, you seem to be done with the ball, and then you told her that you would like her to put it back. She looks to be about 2 years old, it was nice to see you make her responsible for the things that she is playing with”. The mom laughed and said, “It doesn’t always go that smoothly”.
I remember when I was 3 years old, my mother gave me two chores, one personal chore (to brush my teeth on my own) and one to benefit the family (to sweep the floor under the table after we ate). Looking back at that today, I think my mother gave me that chore to teach me to eat without making such a mess. As I got older, my chores changed, but I have always remembered when my mother said I was old enough to have my own chores to help the family, like my brothers and sister did.
Giving chores to children is a great teaching tool! It teaches the child:
- That they are part of a family or community
- To respect and be responsible for what they are using
- Team work
- To follow directions to complete a task
- Shows self-direction and life skills
Even within the classroom, the children are taught self-help skills and that they are part of the larger group. As a member of the group, they have shared responsibilities. Throughout the school day, the children participate together in activities. By teaching them to work together to clean up after themselves, the children show that they can follow directions and cooperate with their peers to complete a task. By caring for the things they’ve used, it shows they are responsible. As the children get older and have demonstrated this, they are given more flexibility to use any materials they need, so they can organize more extensive play situations; which gives them great pride in their achievements.
Teaching the children self-reliance is huge, it builds a child’s confidence. Therefore, when they enter new situations it is already easier for them, and they will be more successful because they have learned life skills along the way.
If you are like the mom that I met, and want to teach your child skills of self-reliance and to be responsible, you may want to check out the link below. It’s a list of chores your child can do at home starting at age 2 – 3 years old.
