Anyone who grew in a joint family in India will always tell you that they never knew boredom as a child. They grew up amidst cousins and uncles and aunts and always knew how to fend for themselves.
But now that most families in India are smaller with one or two children, a major concern for most parents has become fostering independence in children. And if you are a parent also looking for tips to raising independent children, then you have come to just the right place.
Let your child do things themselves
Children like imitating adults from an early age and that’s is why you’ll find most children wanting to do things themselves. As parents though, this can be annoying because it’ll mean the task will take longer and end with a big mess to clean up. But I say, if you want to raise a child who is independent then let them try things in their own from early on.
Give your child responsibilities
Assign your child chores that they can manage from as early as possible. Even if it’s something as simple as delivering the food to the table, or bringing water to a guest. Yes you may have to use steel utensils but your child will enjoy these simple tasks and this is a great way to teach them responsibility.
Make your child participate in everyday tasks
From choosing clothes to glasses to shoes, small everyday choices are a great way to foster independence in your child. These small decisions will give your child confidence and make them better decision makers overall.
Create an independent environment
Create spaces in your home that are approachable for your child. This also means supporting accessibility through Montessori furniture and child-friendly accessories.
Make falling normal
Children fall a lot, and they know to pick themselves up after. But sometimes, it’s us adults who have a hard time with our children falling or making mistakes and this way of thinking can further condition our children to become scared of making mistakes. The right way to deal with failures, small or big, is always to pick yourself up and this is the biggest lesson that you can give your child, Especially if you want them to be independent.
Here are some House of Zizi products that are a great choice to help encourage independence in your child.
Helping Tower
I distinctly remember as a kid when I was the only one in the house who could not reach the mirror over the sink. My mother had to lift me or place a stool for me every morning. I couldn’t wait to reach that mirror and when i finally did, I felt special.
I still remember that feeling and that is why I believe in this product big time. The House of Zizi Helping Tower is designed for homes that want to make their home inclusive for their child. It’s made for parents who want to give their children independence and make their everyday special!
The product is a great assistant in daily tasks like brushing, washing hands and even helping in the kitchen or dining table. The perfect tool to give your child the confident and capable.
Wooden Shelf
This is another very successful product in our offering, an organizing shelf that is the right size for your child. It’s height allows it to be the perfect display for all your child’s toys and encouraging easy access throughout the day.
It’s a great tool to promote decision making and independent choice in your child. It’s also a very smart product to build the habit pf tidying up after themselves at the end of the day. Children make a mess when they are exploring cleaning up this mess at the end of the day can be a very important character building exercise with long-term positives. This Wooden Shelf helps in all of that.
Wooden Bowl and Rattle Spoon
One of the biggest challenges in parenting is feeding your child. Especially when they become a toddler and want to do everything on their own. I get it that feeding your child is so much more satisfying because that way atleast you know if they’ve eaten anything but raising an independent child means letting go of that control. Once your child is a toddler and they insist on eating on their own, let them! It’s a big milestone in a child’s life and must be encouraged.
Yes, meal time will be a mess and yes, they’ll drop as much if not more food than they eat. But let them, because eating on their own gives your child a lot of confidence, makes them feel like a grown up and again, encourages independence! And the House of Zizi Wooden Bowl and Rattle Spoon is your perfect companion through this milestone.
So get started on this journey of raising confident and capable children with House of Zizi.