5 Easy Ways Parents Teach Children To Be More Independent

Illustration (Vika Glitter/Pexels)

JAKARTA - Teaching children to be independent does not only make parents' lives easier. But it also fosters a sense of responsibility for children. Unfortunately, teaching your little one to be independent can be complicated. Fortunately, the following strategies can help him take responsibility more easily step by step.

Reporting from Very Well Family, Friday, May 3, children will usually try to meet their parents' expectations, as long as the expectations are clear and reasonable. If you expect too much, it's likely that your little one will give up. But if expectations are too low, you won't challenge it to do things that can be learned.

So try to create reasonable expectations while realizing that your little one's process of meeting expectations can require a little trial and error. If you're not sure what is meant by reasonable expectations, make expectations a little higher than it is today. And pay attention to your child's efforts to meet your expectations.

Doing homework alone feels a lot easier than having to teach your little one. And, it's not easy to see your child find it difficult to do something you can easily do.

But think about the time you spend teaching your children how to complete tasks independently as an investment. If you take the time to show your children how to clean the kitchen or how to suck up dust in the living room right now, you will spend less time doing these tasks later.

Do you want a 6 year old child to learn how to calm down when you're upset? or do you want teenagers to know how to prepare a family dinner? Form its behavior step by step.

Show your little one what to do. Then, guide him when trying to do it yourself. Give positive feedback when the child is on the right track, and direct him when he is on the wrong track. After the child takes the first step, teach him the next step in the process. The key is to strengthen the child's behavior step by step when he learns new skills.

It is very easy to pay attention to children when they violate the rules or when they are not carrying out their duties. But attention (even negative attention) can strengthen bad behavior.

Say, 'Good job, save your plate without being reminded,' or 'Mother/Father, it's so impressed that you sit down and do your homework tonight alone.' Always give praise to your child whenever your little one does independent things. Every now and then, you can also prepare gifts to appreciate your little one's independence.

Even if you are tempted to remind your child to do something, scolding will only add to your dependence. Avoid saying things like, 'Don't forget to clean your house before dinner if you want to get something in return.'

If you do, your child will not create a way to remind himself. On the other hand, he may depend more on you to be reminded.

So hold back the desire to nag or beg your child to be more independent. On the other hand, give directions once. Then, give the child the opportunity to show that he can be independent.