Certain simple life skills, are quite good to know at a very early age. Although teachers at school will help or guide kids, as a parent I feel safer when I know what my child would do in a certain situation.
While it’s impossible to predict every situation in your child’s life and teach every skill, as parents we can definitely try to make sure they will make good choices. Here are some skills we can encourage our kids to pick up!
Asking for help
As parents we are quite good at anticipating our child’s need and supporting them. But in a room full of kids, its difficult to for teachers to do the same. So, it’s imperative to teach your child to ask for help when needed. Asking, though simple, may be very demanding on a child in a new or unfamiliar environment. To allow them to develop this skill, try to hold back your urge to help and wait for them to ask for support. This lets them ask for things confidently rather than hesitantly.
Washing hands properly
Washing hands, seems like a very easy and normalized activity especially after the pandemic hygiene habits. But we seem to miss the fact that a long summer holiday can throw all the structure and schedule out of the whole family’s life! So, a week before school its good to start reiterating the need for hygiene and the fact that ‘mommy won’t be there to check if you washed right’.
Moving around school
Some children can be quite shy or apprehensive while walking around school. And so going to the library, to the cafeteria at break time or even switching classes can be quite traumatizing for them. It would be perfect if you could take a walk around school with your child and show him around a bit a couple of days before school begins. In this way, he will be well oriented to his surroundings and be confident of what to do and where to put stuff from day one.
Managing their things
Kids have a lot to manage at school other than homework. For instance, where to place the lunch box and water bottles, where to leave the homework or reading books, where to stack your work after finishing it and more. Now, giving them a little space at home and insisting that they leave things properly in it’s place can go a long way in teaching them how to manage themselves and this will prove to be helpful at school.
If you liked our tips and want to add more to it, write back to us at editor@littlepanda.cz