Does your child have the self-help skills that enable them to cooperate and communicate with others and deal with new situations to the best of their ability? At Begin Bright, we think children’s self-help skills are vital in their early years which is why we incorporate teaching them in our School Readiness and Early Years programmes.
Why are children’s self-help skills in the early years important?
- Facilitating self-help skills promotes self-esteem which leads to children feeling good about themselves, having the confidence to face new experiences and challenges.
- Developing effective social skills is an essential part of moving through daily life. An individual’s ability to verbalise their needs, wants and concerns is imperative to the cooperation and negotiation of others.
- Acquiring thinking and problem-solving skills provides capacity for children to tackle and handle new problems and unfamiliar situations, whilst making independent choices and decisions.
How can you promote self-help skills within your child?
- Engage in regular conversations with your child that demonstrate understanding and respect. Listen and respond with genuine interest.
- Acknowledge your child’s achievements and positive behaviours.
- Provide many opportunities to interact and play with other children and adults. Model positive, constructive and respectful interaction with others.
- Support your child in learning the skills to share, take turns and play cooperatively. Provide time and support to resolve conflicts in a positive manner.
- Allow and encourage your child to engage with every day chores such as making school lunches, packing and unpacking their school bag, carrying their school bag and taking responsibility for their belongings.
- Ask open-ended questions. This encourages your child to predict, theorise, express their ideas and opinions and make conclusions.
- Engage in repetitive actions and activities to develop their understanding of concepts and to test their predictions.
Allowing children to practice and develop self-help skills provides them with opportunities to experience and learn from their successes and misadventures, whilst becoming confident problem solvers.