Many parents are of the opinion ‘let kids be kids.’ And while we all want to keep our children feeling happy and away from the stresses and worries of the big wide world when they’re young, there are actually lots of important lessons we can teach them at this tender age to prepare them for life in the future. It’s not about throwing your child in at the deep end and letting them sink or swim, or forcing them to grow up too fast and gain independence when they’re still little. Instead, it’s helping them to learn and understand what life will be like later on, so when they are ready to get out there they know what to expect. Here are some ways to go about this.
Health and nutrition
We all need to eat, it’s a huge part of life. Understanding and appreciating different foods from a young age can put your child on a good path later on where they’re less likely to choose the wrong things, become obese or suffer ill health effects from poor food choices. Teach children about different ingredients, where they come from, how they’re grown. Enjoy cooking simple recipes together, getting them involved is a great way to nurture their curiosity- research shows that children are much more likely to try foods they’ve helped to prepare. Getting them involved in fun exercise, and again teaching them about how this affects their body in a positive way will all help to build up the knowledge they need to make the right choices later on.
You should also teach your child about the importance of regular medical checkups. Regular visits to a dentist like this trustworthy cosmetic dentist in decatur, for example, can make a lot of difference in your child’s dental health.
Finance and money
Money can be a difficult concept for children to grasp. When they ask for expensive things and don’t get them, they can see it as their parents being unfair or unjust in some way. Helping them to understand what money is and letting them see first hand how hard earned it is is a great thing for children to learn. One of the best ways you can do this is by allowing them to earn money, you could set up a chore system where different chores pay different amounts. Let them choose the chores they’d like to do, where more difficult and time consuming things pay more. Then they can choose to spend or save their money as they wish, but it will help them understand the concept of working to earn. When they next ask for expensive things, you can explain that just like them, you have to go to work to earn money and it’s not just an unlimited source.
Coping in difficult times
Unfortunately, life isn’t always easy. There are always bumps in the road and we have to deal with things we rather wouldn’t- it’s all about how we cope and get by. It’s natural to want to wrap your child up in cotton wool, but letting them experience some stress in a controlled way means you can teach them healthy coping mechanisms. One way a lot of parents do this is by letting them get a pet, when the pet passes away they’re then able to grieve for them. This is where you’d let them know that crying is ok and feeling sad is perfectly normal, you could hold a little funeral where you all say goodbye and over the next few days is where you’d speak about the good times and remember them fondly rather than completely in sadness. Companies like Memorials.com even allow you to turn ashes into jewellery as a precious keepsake. Starting new clubs and classes that push kids out of their comfort zone is another way to do this, they’ll learn that it’s scary at first but they’ll quickly adapt and overcome the situation and it can give them confidence in going into new things. Importantly, being there for them to talk to and express themselves when things are hard shows them that they have you as their rock and that everything will be ok in the end.
Empathy and getting along with others
Getting along with others is something we all need to be able to do in life. It involves understanding teamwork and taking the position as either the leader or follower in that situation. It involves taking other people’s opinion and perspective on board, and it involves being friendly, flexible and respecting what other people say, even if it’s different to your views. These are all skills that need to be learned, we aren’t just born with them. Letting kids spend time with other people will help them to understand these things over time, it allows them to see that others have a different point of view and also that not every scenario revolves around them. Learning to be cooperative will help them throughout school, then later in life through education and work. You could start by taking your child to clubs and classes where they’re mixing with other kids, and also social events where they can be around people of all ages. If they’re getting something wrong or aren’t understanding, have a chat and explain to them how things work in social settings.
Taking pride in themselves and their achievements
It’s so important to have a sense of pride in what we do. It gives us confidence and encourages us to work hard and be the best we can be. Celebrating your child’s successes and giving them plenty of praise when it’s due is a fantastic form of positive reinforcement which will build them up and up. When they’ve done a good job or performed well in any area of their life then acknowledge this. Telling them you’re proud and that they should be proud of themselves goes a really long way in children’s development.
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