Teaching Preschoolers Independence: 3 Ways Preschool Programs Encourage Self-Help Skills
Posted on: 7 September 2017
Although you don't mind doing things for your child, you know that learning how to help themselves is important for their future. Now that your child is only a year or two away from going to kindergarten, you are starting to worry about how much they rely on you for basic things such as buttoning their pants or cleaning up their toys. Fortunately, your child's early learning teachers know exactly how to foster self-help skills in young children, and watching for these signs in your child's preschool classroom lets you know encouraging independence is a priority on every lesson plan:
Children Choose Learning Activities
Although parents often think of independence as an action such as being able to tie their own shoes, early childhood educators know that it all starts with cultivating a sense of curiosity and confidence in every child. For this reason, your child's teacher will set up learning activities in the classroom that build the skills that they know your child needs to work on. Then, your child is encouraged to pick from these learning centers to tap into their natural desire for self-improvement.
Child-Sized Furniture and Supplies are Available
Learning how to help themselves is difficult for kids who must try to operate in an adult world. After all, teetering on a ladder to wash their hands or struggling to reach a high shelf takes a child's focus off of actually refining their abilities. In a quality learning program, your child will not have to worry about these things. Instead, teachers provide child-sized furniture such as low shelves so that children can easily put away their learning materials when they are done.
Children Are Provided With Helper Jobs
It is important for preschool-aged children to feel as though they are a part of a community, and having a way to contribute enhances your child's independence. Whether their job is to water the plants or greet their classmates each day, your child benefits from being able to help out everyone in their classroom. Ideally, your child's teacher should rotate jobs among the children so that each child has the opportunity to develop new sets of important skills.
Parents are often amazed as they observe their child at work in the classroom, and realizing that your child can help clean up their learning center or remember to put their coat away is an eye-opening experience. As your child begins to demonstrate more independence, remember to ask their teacher for ways that you can continue to support their self-help skills at home.
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