As a parent, you know that part of your job is to teach your kids how to be independent so that when they move out of your home, they will have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to live on their own. Teaching your child how to be independent takes patience, time, and consistency. Continue reading today’s post for our best tips on promoting independence in your child.
There are many things to learn as you grow up, and tying shoes is perhaps one of the hardest skills for kids to learn. If you’re tired of the daily struggle to tie shoes, be sure to shop online at Synch Bands to find the best tieless laces for sneakers and shoes. Our non-tie laces are easily adjusted to fit comfortably and lock into place. Contact us to learn more.
Don’t Do Everything for Them
When your child was an infant, it became second nature to do everything for them because they needed you to. As your child grows older, however, it’s important to evaluate what you do for them and what you need to let them do for themselves. In fact, many parents still do everything for their children because it’s easier and quicker. The problem with this is that it takes away valuable learning opportunities for your child.
Teach your child how to perform a specific task and model it for them. Then, let them handle the task on their own. Depending on their age, you can either remain nearby in case they need help or tell them that you’ll be in the next room if they have a question.
Teach Them Life Skills
You want your child to grow up into a healthy adult with the basic life skills they’ll need to live an independent life. With that, some of the life skills they need to learn include:
- Cooking
- Cleaning
- Laundry
- Managing money
- Banking
- Follow-through
It’s important to teach them how to do each of these skills by modeling how to do them and then allowing your child the opportunity to try each task on their own. Obviously, it’s important to teach each of these skills at the appropriate age. For example, you wouldn’t try to teach your five year old how to manage money, but you should expect your 10-year-old to know how to do some basic cleaning and help with cooking.
Give Them Responsibilities
It’s important to give your children age-appropriate chores to help them learn early on the value of contributing to the family and learning how to take care of things on their own. In fact, since children, like adults, find comfort in routine, try to schedule the same chores at the same times and on the same days. If you’re not sure what kind of chores are right for your child, a simple online search will provide a number of example chore charts that are organized by age.
Allow Them to Make Mistakes
Perhaps one of the hardest things to do as a parent is to allow your child to make mistakes. While you don’t expect them to be perfect, you might struggle with letting them deal with the consequences of their choices. In those moments, it’s important to remind yourself that all of us, your child included, learn from the mistakes we make. Whether we learn what not to say in certain situations, how to judge if the gap is too far to jump, or to take care of projects sooner than later, it’s important to allow your child to make mistakes while they are young and the consequences are much smaller.
Promote Problem Solving
It’s almost a natural reaction to jump in and fix problems for your child. If your goal is to raise an independent child, however, you have to resist this urge. When a problem arises, allow your child the opportunity to develop a solution. You can guide them by asking questions to prompt them to think of how to solve a situation. Don’t provide all the answers for them, as this will eventually create an adult who is never quite sure how to address problems in their life without calling home to mom or dad.
Think about the best teachers you had when you were a student and what made them great teachers. You’ll probably realize they all had one thing in common - they didn’t provide the answers to every situation. That’s because a good teacher will do his or her best to help you discover the answer, not give it to you. That same principle applies to parenting.
The Best Elastic Tieless Laces
Teaching your child how to tie traditional shoelaces can be incredibly difficult and frustrating for both of you. With that, check out the elastic shoelaces at Synch Bands! We designed our tieless laces to solve the shoelace problem that almost every kid seems to have, and we know you’re going to love how easy it makes things for your kid. Shop our online store today to find the perfect pair of tieless laces, and Synch up those shoes!