Tips for Teaching Kids to Be Independent

Establish responsibilities and expectations

Allow your children to do more and more things for themselves. Our role is to grow their abilities and support them, so as they grow up, they learn to be independent. Let them handle tasks and make decisions for themselves such as packing for a short weekend trip. Establish responsibilities and expectations, and guide them all through out.  Let them know that you believe in them and that you trust their choices. You can help them get back up when they fall, but don’t prevent them from falling. Let them learn from the failures for it will help them become resilient. 

Create routines 

Kids love routines, and most of them do best when they have one in place. A good routine will help children one know what they need to do in a specific order. In establishing routines, make sure that you involve them and that they agree on it. Let them take control and allow them to be accountable for it. You may pick one or two things you want them to start doing independently, and create a checklist to guide them.

Kids are very visual. You may make use of a chore chart and allow them to define the chores that they are expected to do for the day. It's also fun to have some collaborative tasks with siblings or others. It will not only allow your kids to further develop their social skills but also learn how work together with others.

Dry Erase Chore Chart for kids from Amazon

Make it easy for them to succeed

Once your kids know what is expected of them, make the task a bit easier for them to succeed. Allow them to take action, see the fruit of their labor, and appreciate it! Here are some suggestions:

💟 If they are tasked to clean their room, make sure that their cleaning tools are accessible to them.
💟 Place laundry baskets in their rooms so they can easily put away their dirty clothes.
💟  Keep stools in areas where kids need to reach.
💟  Store pet foods within their reach so they can help refill pet's bowl during meal time.

Encourage and appreciate their work

Positive feedback from parents is important in boosting their self-esteem and shaping their personality the right way. By saying “Great job for washing your plate after meal!” or “Well done for your homework all on your own.”  helps them know that you acknowledge their effort and that they are growing more capable and skilled.  Celebrate their little milestones even with as little as a little snack treat or an extended hour of play.